North Queensland’s premier industrial site
The Townsville State Development Area (SDA) is positioned to be the preferred location in North Queensland for establishing industrial development of regional, state and national significance.
Strategically located at the junction of the national road network – the Bruce and Flinders Highways – it also boasts direct connections to major rail networks and the Port of Townsville.
Declared in 2003, the 4,915-hectare Townsville SDA is a defined area of land dedicated for industrial development.
Benefits
- Land suited to medium to large-scale, large-footprint industry
- Established industry precinct with opportunities for co-location
- Rail routes running north, south and west with key connections to the:
- North Coast Rail Corridor
- North West Rail Corridor
- Access to the Port of Townsville – Queensland's third largest port
- Access north to Cairns, south to Mackay and Brisbane, and west to Charters Towers and Mount Isa
- A dedicated transportation corridor, providing direct road access to the port via the Townsville Port Access Road
- Efficient processing of applications and requests
- Streamlined, fast-tracked land sale application and contract process
- Access to a skilled workforce
- Planning processes targeted for industrial development
- Preserving land for future growth opportunities
Location
The Townsville SDA is located about:
- 6 km south-east of the Townsville CBD
- 2 km south of the Port of Townsville.
Industry suitability
Industries suitable for the Townsville SDA are those that are dependent on port, rail, and road, such as:
- manufacturing (chemicals and metals production)
- minerals processing
- intermodal freight and logistics
- bulk storage.
Industries already established in the Townsville SDA include:
- Aurizon Stuart intermodal facility
- Aurizon locomotive and rolling stock maintenance facility
- Glencore Xstrata copper refinery
- JBS Australia abattoir
- Origin Energy Mt Stuart peaking generator plant
- Pacific National rail freight terminal
- Sun Metals zinc refinery
- Townsville City Council landfill
- Townsville correctional facility.
Success stories
Cleveland Bay Industrial Park
The Cleveland Bay Industrial Park (CBIP) is a key industrial precinct within the Townsville SDA. The Coordinator-General proactively identified land suitable for its development.
Working in partnership with the private sector, the Coordinator-General has been creating economic opportunity at the CBIP. The Coordinator-General approved several medium-impact industrial uses in the CBIP. This has resulted in approximately $157.7 million of capital investment in the Townsville SDA and 310 new jobs for Townsville.
Read more about this success story Cleveland Bay Industrial Park: a triumph for Townsville.
Planning and development
The Townsville SDA is managed by the Coordinator-General. It supports economic development in a way that considers environmental, cultural and social values, as well as existing industry and surrounding infrastructure within the region.
Industry precincts within the Townsville SDA include land designated for:
- port-related industry
- high-impact industry
- medium-impact industry
- low-impact industry.
Other precincts within the Townsville SDA provide for:
- infrastructure corridors to accommodate linear infrastructure including road, rail and utilities
- environmental management
- extractive industry, to protect the Muntalunga Key Resource Area without compromising the environmental and cultural heritage values of the Muntalunga Ranges or the amenity of sensitive land uses.
The Townsville SDA regulation map (
923.8 KB) defines the boundary of the Townsville SDA.
The Townsville SDA development precincts map ( 1.1 MB) forms part of the development scheme and identifies the precincts within the Townsville SDA.
The Townsville SDA Development Scheme ( 803.5 KB) is a regulatory document that controls planning and development within the Townsville SDA. The current version was approved in May 2019.
The development scheme includes the:
- strategic vision – sets the policy direction and forms the basis of delivering appropriate development and economic outcomes within the Townsville SDA
- overall objectives for development – provides the outcomes for development in the Townsville SDA
- development precincts – designates land for particular uses, e.g. infrastructure, industrial, environmental management
- SDA-wide assessment criteria – outlines assessment criteria relating to infrastructure, environment, built form, landscaping, transport, engineering and design outcomes.
It also contains a development assessment framework for making, assessing and deciding applications and requests relating to development within the Townsville SDA.
The development scheme is supported by a public consultation policy ( 136.0 KB) that provides information on matters the Coordinator-General may consider when determining whether public consultation of an SDA application is required.
The Coordinator-General assesses and decides all SDA applications and requests within the Townsville SDA including:
- carrying out operational work for the clearing of native vegetation
- reconfiguring a lot (subdivision of land and boundary realignment)
- making a material change of use of premises (i.e. establishing a new use).
Townsville City Council is responsible for assessing and deciding other assessable development such as for operational work other than clearing of native vegetation.
Understand how to make an SDA application or request including pre-lodgement consideration and the relevant fees and access the online application form.
First approved by the Governor in Council in 2005, the development scheme has been amended numerous times.
Previous versions of the Townsville SDA development scheme:
- Townsville SDA Development Scheme (July 2013) ( 717.2 KB)
- Townsville SDA Development Scheme (September 2012) ( 223.8 KB)
- Townsville SDA Development Scheme (September 2010) ( 207.9 KB)
- Townsville SDA Development Scheme (2005) ( 232.0 KB)
Previous versions of the maps:
- Townsville SDA designation (precinct) map 2013 ( 512.0 KB)
- Townsville SDA regulation (boundary) map 2010 ( 1.0 MB)
- Townsville SDA designation (precinct) map 2010 ( 1.2 MB)
- Townsville SDA regulation (boundary) map 2005 ( 723.2 KB)
- Townsville SDA designation (precinct) map 2005 ( 378.1 KB)
- Townsville SDA regulation (boundary) map 2003 ( 1.2 MB)
The majority of land within the Townsville SDA is owned freehold, with a significant portion owned by a small number of land holders.
The Coordinator-General owns 923 hectares within the Townsville SDA. This includes land for:
- multi-user infrastructure corridors, including the:
- Townsville Port Access Road
- future Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor
- industrial development
- buffer areas.
In June 2018, the Coordinator-General acquired approximately 810 hectares to support the acceleration of the Townsville SDA. This was a key commitment of the Townsville City Deal. Acquiring this land allows the Coordinator-General to proactively respond to proponents seeking development opportunities in the Townsville SDA.
View the Townsville SDA land ownership map ( 1.3 MB).
The legislative framework for infrastructure charging in the Townsville SDA under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 varies from the statutory provisions applying outside the Townsville SDA under the Planning Act 2016.
Find out more about how infrastructure charges are applied in the Townsville SDA ( 73.4 KB).
Further information
Contact the Office of the Coordinator-General on 1800 001 048 or via sdainfo@coordinatorgeneral.qld.gov.au for further information on the Townsville SDA.