Queensland data · Analysis

Development Application Activity Across Queensland

Across 20 Queensland councils and Economic Development Queensland (EDQ), PlanEase tracked ~8,420 development applications in the three months to 14 August 2026, based on its analysis of public development application registers. The activity is heavily concentrated in the larger councils, and the mix of application types says a lot about where the work, and the coordination risk, sits.

For developers, surveyors and planners, knowing what councils are assessing helps you read the market and anticipate where referral and infrastructure pressure is building.

Where the activity is concentrated

Of the councils tracked in the period, Brisbane saw by far the most, and the busiest councils overall are the South East Queensland metros. Application counts, 18 May 2026 to 14 August 2026 (PlanEase analysis):

• Brisbane~1,820 applications
• Gold Coast~1,100 applications
• Somerset754 applications
• Moreton Bay579 applications
• Ipswich513 applications
• Lockyer Valley504 applications
• Redland425 applications
• Townsville391 applications
• Sunshine Coast328 applications
• Toowoomba296 applications

Approximate figures from PlanEase's analysis of public registers, data updated 16 August 2026, subject to revision. Not official statistics.

What's being lodged

Across the ~8,420 applications, the most common identifiable application types were:

• Operational works13%
• Material change of use9%
• Carry out building work4%
• Building work (private certifier)4%
• Concurrence agency referral4%

Councils record application types inconsistently, so beyond these leaders there is a long tail of council-specific categories. The dominance of operational works and material change of use reflects the infrastructure and land-use work driving development across the state.

Priority Development Areas: activity no council register carries

Not all Queensland development runs through a council. Inside a Priority Development Area (PDA), Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) replaces the council as the assessment manager, so those applications appear in no council register. PlanEase now tracks EDQ's PDA register as well. In FY26, EDQ decided about 160 PDA applications, roughly 150 approvals, including subdivision approvals creating 3,300+ new lots. FY26 PDA activity was led by Greater Flagstone (about 50 decisions), ahead of Yarrabilba, Caloundra South, Northshore Hamilton and Woolloongabba. Because EDQ does not publish decision durations, this activity is reported by volume only and is not compared against council decision times.

What it means for subdivision and plan sealing teams

Operational works approvals are particularly relevant to subdivision projects: the conditions attached to them (roads, drainage, parks, utilities) have to be certified as complete before a survey plan can be sealed. A caseload heavy in operational works is a caseload heavy in the kind of conditions that decide whether a project reaches registration on time.

The practical takeaway is the same wherever you operate: the volume of approvals is only the start. What determines your timeline is how well the conditions behind each approval are tracked through to plan sealing. See subdivision plan sealing in South East Queensland and plan sealing in Queensland for how that process works.