Mount Peter

By 2046, the Cairns local government area is forecast to grow to a population of approximately 240,000 residents (up from 169,310 residents in 2021). New and diverse housing is required to accommodate this growth.

The Mount Peter PDA was declared at the request of the Cairns Regional Council to provide a streamlined planning framework that accommodates the future housing needs of the Cairns region.

Declaring the area a PDA enables Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) to prepare a Development Scheme to deliver additional housing supply, local jobs and infrastructure. It ensures essential infrastructure is delivered to support the growing community.

This will support the planning objectives outlined in the Far North Queensland Regional Plan, which identifies Mount Peter as a key future growth area.

Preliminary investigations by Cairns Regional Council and EDQ suggest that the PDA has the potential to support approximately 18,500 new homes and local supporting employment opportunities. However, there are significant infrastructure servicing challenges to enable this housing to be delivered.  The PDA will assist in the planning for and efficient delivery of key infrastructure, in particular wastewater reticulation and treatment systems.

These new homes also need more transport options, schools, community facilities, and parks and open spaces. In preparing the proposed Mount Peter PDA Development Scheme, EDQ will work closely with Council and local stakeholders to plan the PDA in a way that supports responsible growth, balances community needs with economic feasibility, and protects and enhances the unique, tropical lifestyle and natural beauty of Far North Queensland.

Development applications properly made before the Mount Peter PDA was declared continue to be assessed and decided by the Cairns Regional Council under the Planning Act 2016 (Planning Act). This includes any development applications that are currently under appeal in the Planning and Environment Court.

A cancellation or a minor change application can be lodged for a Planning Act development approval, despite the Mount Peter PDA declaration. These types of applications can be lodged and assessed under the Planning Act. However, following PDA declaration, development applications (other than a cancellation or minor change to a Planning Act development approval) must be lodged and assessed as a PDA development application under the Economic Development Act.

Existing development approvals are not impacted by the declaration of a PDA.

The Mount Peter PDA will protect environmental values while supporting appropriate development that facilitates housing supply. The PDA will ensure appropriate buffers to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area to minimise adverse impacts these areas. The PDA will also contribute to the preservation of important environmental corridors that facilitate fauna movement and connect the WTWHA to other significant habitat areas.

The PDA planning instruments (ILUP and Development Scheme) will include provisions to protect significant cultural, heritage and scenic values in the PDA.

As part of preparing the Mount Peter PDA Development Scheme, Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) will work with the Cairns Regional Council, industry, utility providers and State agencies to ensure infrastructure is planned, funded and delivered in a way that supports growth while balancing community need and economic feasibility.

The infrastructure will include transport (road, public transport and active transport), water, sewer, open space, community facilities and stormwater management.

Under the Economic Development Act 2012, the PDA planning process involves:

• declaring the Mount Peter PDA
• preparing the Interim Land Use Plan (ILUP) and
• preparing a PDA Development Scheme which includes public consultation.

The ILUP is now in effect and EDQ has started preparing the PDA Development Scheme.

The Development Scheme will also set out the preferred approach to pay for the required infrastructure. It is anticipated that the Mount Peter Development Scheme will be publicly notified in mid-2026.

An ILUP is a temporary plan which regulates development in a PDA until the detailed planning for the area has been completed. It ceases to apply when the Mount Peter PDA Development Scheme takes effect. It is anticipated that the Mount Peter PDA ILUP will be in effect for up to 18 months.

The Mount Peter PDA ILUP establishes two precincts with different land use intents.

• Precinct 1: Residential North – located adjacent to existing residential neighbourhoods in the north of the PDA, allows for development applications with housing densities of between15 to 20 dwellings per hectare and essential infrastructure services, including water, sewer, energy and telecommunications.
• Precinct 2: Investigation Area – covers that part of the PDA which requires further work to understand a range of matters including infrastructure planning, delivery and funding. Only development associated with existing lawful uses, temporary or interim in nature, or that does not result in further land fragmentation can occur.

While the ILUP is in effect, PDA development applications are assessed and approved having regard to the intent of each precinct.

That will depend based on the type of development proposed and whether the site is located in Precinct 1 or Precinct 2 under the ILUP. Applicants are encouraged to use EDQ’s pre-lodgement service prior to submitting an application.

If you own property or operate a business in the land covered by the Mount Peter PDA, the PDA changes the legislation and the associated rules governing how your land can be used and developed in the future. The PDA will not alter existing use rights.

With the PDA declaration, development in Mount Peter is now assessed using the PDA planning and assessment framework in the Economic Development Act 2012, rather than CairnsPlan 2016. The new process applies the Interim Land Use Plan and subsequent Development Scheme.

A Development Scheme is a regulatory document that replaces the ILUP and controls the long-term land use, infrastructure planning and development in a PDA. The Development Scheme provides greater detail on development outcomes and comprises a vision, a land use plan, an infrastructure plan and an implementation strategy. It provides certainty to developers, local government, state agencies and the wider community about the type and form of development that can occur in the PDA.

The Economic Development Act 2012 sets the statutory process for preparing a Development Scheme, which must advance Queensland and regional priorities, such as those in the FNQ Regional Plan and State Planning Policy. EDQ will collaborate with Council, state agencies, industry, utility providers, and the community. Before finalisation by the Minister for Economic Development Queensland (MEDQ), the proposed PDA Development Scheme requires at least 30 business days of public notification.

The DCOP supports the infrastructure plan in the Development Scheme, specifying necessary trunk upgrades, their timing, and estimated costs. It establishes infrastructure charges for new developments, explaining how charges are calculated, credits applied, and offsets determined to ensure coordinated delivery and funding.

Once a proposed PDA Development Scheme has been prepared, it will be publicly notified, and the community, industry and other stakeholders will be invited to provide feedback. Community consultation is a statutory requirement under the Economic Development Act 2012. There will also be other opportunities during the planning process for the community to get involved.

To stay informed, register on the Have Your Say page here.

A dedicated Mount Peter PDA Have Your Say webpage has been created where you can register for updates, track project progress and learn about upcoming engagement opportunities.

As part of the PDA planning process, the community will have the opportunity to help shape the vision for the PDA, ensuring it contributes to Cairns’ unique lifestyle. There will also be a formal consultation period for feedback on the proposed Development Scheme.

The public notification period will run for at least 30 business days giving the community, industry and other stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed Development Scheme. It will be accompanied by the draft Development Charges and Offset Plan (DCOP).

All submissions received during the consultation period will be considered by the Minister for Economic Development Queensland (MEDQ) before finalising the PDA Development Scheme.

Public notification is expected to take place in mid-2026.

Written submissions can be made during the notification period. Further information about making a submission will be available on the Mount Peter PDA Have Your Say webpage prior to the public notification period commencing.

It is anticipated that the Development Scheme will be finalised within 18 months from declaration.