A new version of the Moreton Bay planning scheme commenced on 2 November 2026. Version 9 brings in Major Amendment No. 4 and Minor Amendment No. 4, which Council adopted on 28 October 2026.
The two changes most clients will notice are a new planning framework for Morayfield South and wider bushfire construction requirements across the city. If you own land in Morayfield South, or plan to build in a Centre, General residential, Industry or Township zone, this is worth reading.
Morayfield South has its own precinct and structure plan
Morayfield South now sits in a new Morayfield South precinct of the Emerging community zone, in place of the Transition precinct. Council estimates the area could take about 9,800 dwellings and 26,000 people, making it the city’s second largest growth area.
The new framework replaces the interim controls that had applied through temporary local planning instruments since 2021. Development must now be consistent with the Morayfield South Structure Plan, supported by new tables of assessment, zone code provisions and a Reconfiguring a lot code for the precinct.
Council’s changes to the earlier interim structure plan include:
- Environmental corridors: extents have changed, including expanded areas for restoring or protecting vegetation.
- Roads and paths: a road hierarchy is introduced, the proposed Oakey Flat Road to Clark Road link is removed, and off-road shared pathways are added beside the corridors.
- Proposed train station: the station and the Future Urban Investigation Precinct are gone. The balance land outside the retained corridor becomes the Next generation neighbourhood sub-precinct.
- Parks and centres: two of the four district recreation parks move, and the Hauton Road local centre moves to the corner of Hauton and Blewers Roads.
- State schools: future State school sites are identified and protected in their own sub-precinct.
The Dwelling house, Residential uses and Works codes have also been extended to cover the new precinct.
Bushfire building requirements now reach four more zones
Centre, General residential, Industry and Township zoned land is no longer excluded from the designated bushfire prone area. Building work on land in those zones can now trigger the National Construction Code’s bushfire construction requirements if the land is mapped.
The scheme now says, in Table 1.6.1:
“The areas shown on Overlay map – Bushfire hazard as Very high potential bushfire intensity, High potential bushfire intensity, Medium potential bushfire intensity, and Potential impact buffer, are designated bushfire prone areas for section 7 of the Building Regulation 2021.”
Council says this affects class 1-3 and class 10a buildings, meaning residential buildings and outbuildings, and specific class 9 buildings such as health care, most education and residential care buildings. Construction standards can affect cost, so it is worth checking before design is finalised.
The mapped bushfire areas themselves have not changed. Council also notes an interim mismatch: building work uses the planning scheme’s overlay map, while Reconfiguring a lot and material change of use applications use the State’s 2017 mapping. New State mapping is expected, and Council plans to update the scheme when it arrives.
Zone and local plan code notes now also refer to the Building Regulation 2021 and AS 3959-2018.
Vegetation clearing wording has been tightened
Clearing vegetation mapped as either a High Value Area or a Value Offset Area can now need a development application. Council amended the accepted development wording in Table 1.7.7.1, which could previously be read as applying only where land carried both mappings.
The table now refers to vegetation “not mapped as High Value Area, Value Offset Area, or both”. Council describes this as clarifying its original intent, so land with only one of those mappings deserves a second look before any clearing starts.
The remaining changes are mostly drafting corrections and updated references. They should not change the outcome for most projects.
What this means for your project
The date your application was properly made decides which version applies. Under section 45(7) of the Planning Act 2016, an assessment manager assesses against the instrument in effect at that date. Section 45(8) also lets them give weight to a later amendment, so Version 9 can still matter for an application already lodged.
We recommend talking to us if:
- you own or are buying land in Morayfield South
- you are designing a building on bushfire-mapped land in a Centre, General residential, Industry or Township zone
- you plan to clear vegetation on land with environmental area mapping
- you have an application in progress with Moreton Bay Council
This article is general information, not advice on a particular site. Contact us and we will check how Version 9 applies to your property.
