What are State development areas?
A State development area (SDA) is land designated by the Coordinator-General for economic development in Queensland.
SDAs are strategically located to provide for:
- large industrial hubs for development requiring a large footprint and access to transport networks including ports, rail lines or major roads
- infrastructure corridors for the co-location of infrastructure such as rail lines, water and gas pipelines and electrical transmission lines
- major development sites including public works.
SDAs provide a unique opportunity to:
- unlock investment opportunities and cluster industries to create economies of scale
- provide access to land to diversify industrial development
- control development in a way that considers existing industry and surrounding development
- provide guidance and greater development certainty for industry by providing a ‘one-stop-shop’ for major development approvals
- manage incompatible land use and minimising environmental impacts
- deliver economic benefits by creating local jobs and strengthening regional economies.
There are currently 12 SDAs throughout Queensland. Explore current State development areas.
Benefits of locating in an SDA
Locating your project in an SDA offers the following benefits:
- location – SDAs are strategically located close to railways, ports and major road networks
- certainty for industry – SDAs have clear rules for development, planning and approvals – and best practice land use planning and management – reducing risk for investors
- streamlined approvals – the Coordinator-General can help to facilitate state and local government approvals
- investment readiness – we work with industry and regional partners to ensure SDAs have the infrastructure needed for development
- economic benefits – SDAs can unlock investment, create jobs and boost exports.
Declaring an SDA
The Coordinator-General can recommend to the Minister and Governor in Council to declare part of the state to be an SDA. This is as per section 77 of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971. This process generally involves significant investigations including site analysis and extensive consultation.
When evaluating a potential SDA, the Coordinator-General considers many factors, including:
- economic, environmental and social values
- regional economic growth and supply chain opportunities
- land to establish industry diversification and provide employment opportunities
- long-term strategic patterns of development
- site level constraints and opportunities
- regional infrastructure capacity including transport connections and power, water supply and wastewater infrastructure capacity
- integration of state and local planning.
The Coordinator-General aims to strike the right balance between the interests of stakeholders that would potentially be impacted by the SDA. This includes:
- landholders
- proponents
- the relevant local government(s)
- industry organisations
- community groups
- Traditional Owners
- the general community.
Historically, all SDA declarations have included a formal public consultation period to seek feedback on the boundary of the potential SDA. This helps determine whether to proceed with the SDA declaration and to inform the final boundary.
Once declared, a regulation map showing the boundary of the SDA is made available. All SDAs are listed in the State Development and Public Works Organisation (State Development Areas) Regulation 2019. This identifies the regulatory maps for each SDA. All regulation maps are included on the SDA web pages.
Our role in an SDA
The Coordinator-General is responsible for the planning, establishment and ongoing management of SDAs in Queensland.
In an SDA, the Coordinator-General:
- controls land-use, infrastructure, economic and environmental planning
- implements a development scheme for each SDA, a regulatory document that controls planning and development
- assesses and decides all SDA applications and requests that can be made under the development scheme
- has compulsory land acquisition powers
- may own land own to facilitate infrastructure connectivity for future development.
Find out more about development schemes, applications and requests and land acquisition.
Land in an SDA
The State Government owns land parcels and easements within some of the SDAs. The Coordinator-General's land holdings include land for multi-user infrastructure corridors, industrial development and buffer areas.
The declaration of an SDA does not change the ownership of the land within the area. However, the Coordinator-General may compulsorily acquire land or easements within an SDA for the purpose of economic development.
Find out more about the land acquisition process.
Former SDAs
When an SDA has achieved its objectives, the Coordinator-General has the option of:
- revoking the declaration of the SDA, and
- repealing its development scheme.
Responsibility for planning and development within the revoked SDA is handed back to the relevant local council. The following 2 former SDAs are examples of infrastructure and major public works where this has happened.
Bundamba to Swanbank SDA
The Bundamba to Swanbank SDA was declared in June 2006. It was a 7.6 km infrastructure corridor near Ipswich.
To develop water pipeline infrastructure to service southeast Queensland, the Coordinator-General worked with:
- Seqwater
- Southern Regional Pipeline Co
- local bodies
- local government.
Once the infrastructure was built and operational, the SDA had achieved its purpose. Therefore, the SDA declaration was revoked in May 2013.
Queensland Children’s Hospital SDA
The Queensland Children's Hospital SDA was declared in 2008. It was a 15.6-hectare site located adjacent to Brisbane's existing Mater Children's Hospital.
The SDA was established to facilitate the delivery of:
- the Queensland Children's Hospital, which opened in 2014
- the Centre for Children's Health Research
- associated infrastructure
- the continuation of the existing schools within the SDA.
To coordinate development in a timely manner, while managing and reducing significant impacts during construction, the Office of the Coordinator-General worked with:
- Brisbane City Council
- the Department of Health's Children's Hospital project team
- other State government agencies
- the adjacent schools
- the local community.
Land use rearrangements within the SDA, facilitated by the Coordinator-General, resulted in greater efficiency in the use of land. It also provided for expansion of education facilities at Somerville House and St Laurence's College.
In September 2023 the Coordinator-General revoked the declaration of the Queensland Children’s Hospital SDA.
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