Building heights in parts of Fortitude Valley would rise to up to 40 storeys on eligible sites between St Pauls Terrace, Brookes Street, along Ann Street and around Cathedral Place under the draft Fortitude Valley Sustainable Growth Precinct Plan, Brisbane Times reported on Tuesday (10 November). The edges of this precinct would transition in maximum height to 30 storeys or lower.
The proposed amendment to Brisbane City Plan 2014 is listed in a committee report presented to Council on Tuesday, which recommends it be provided to the state for a State interest review and that public consultation be undertaken. A second round of consultation will open from Friday (13 November) and close on 18 December, and the plan is then expected to be finalised in 2027, Brisbane Times reported.
The Valley is home to more than 11,500 residents and almost 28,000 workers, according to the council. "There's an opportunity for thousands more homes in Fortitude Valley," Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said. The 40-storey limit is based on advice from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority about flight paths, he said.
The committee report says the changes seek to revitalise the precinct through increased building heights and updates to sub-precinct boundaries to facilitate additional housing supply, short-term accommodation and mixed-use development in suitable locations, along with increased opportunities for retail, commercial, health, education, entertainment and community service uses. It also cites leveraging existing and planned infrastructure investment including the new Cross River Rail Exhibition station, Brisbane Stadium, National Aquatic Centre and the new Gold CityGlider, and says the precinct plan boundary will be extended to include properties to the north-west.
Live Music Protections and Noise Requirements
The plan would include noise protections for live-music venues, and building requirements designed to mitigate this affecting residents in the entertainment precinct. The report lists updates to the Special Entertainment Area, Fortitude Valley's live music precinct, to clarify and modernise requirements to support the economic benefits that entertainment precincts provide the city.
"The key thing we want to do there is protect what makes the Valley great, which is its amazing nightlife [and] live music scene," Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said. "The buildings will need to be built in a way that protects people from noise impacts, and that's part of our strict requirement. We think two things can co-exist really well in the Valley."
When the plan was announced in November 2025, the Lord Mayor's office said building heights currently range from eight storeys in the Warner Street and James Street area, 20 storeys in the Valley Gateway, and up to 30 storeys in the Valley Heart, and that the current neighbourhood plan was 15 years old. The Valley Chamber of Commerce said at the time that it welcomes and fully supports this plan.
Opposition Calls for Affordable Housing Targets
The council's Labor opposition leader, Jared Cassidy, said increased building heights alone were not the silver bullet for housing affordability. "We also need to see targets for affordable housing," he said. "What's the point if frontline, essential workers still can't afford to live in the city that they serve? They will sprawl out anyway."
The council's project page says the plan focuses on how to renew the precinct and harness the opportunities presented by the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and that 2027 is the stage for Council and Queensland Government approval of the plan and adoption into City Plan. The first stage of community engagement closed on 15 February 2026.
The council will also move along planning changes for Indooroopilly, Carindale and Nundah on Tuesday, with increased height limits of up to 25 storeys, depending on lot size, Brisbane Times reported.