North Harbour breaks ground on 249-home PDA stage as waterfront vision moves forward

Less than 12 months after North Harbour was declared a Priority Development Area, work has begun on infrastructure for the first 249 homes within the expanded PDA—marking a major step towards around 3,700 additional homes, new employment, tourism and marine-industry opportunities.

Watch the full press conference in the video above.

A long-held vision for North Harbour has moved decisively from planning into delivery, with government, industry and development representatives gathering at Burpengary East to officially turn the first sod on the Priority Development Area’s Early Release Area.

The works will support the first 249 terrace and detached homes within the expanded development, less than a year after the Queensland Government declared the 420-hectare North Harbour Priority Development Area on 30 July 2025.

Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie described the commencement of works as an important response to Queensland’s need for greater housing supply.

“We need land right across the state, particularly South East Queensland, the fastest-growing region in Queensland,” Mr Bleijie said. “We need land, and we need it unlocked quickly.”

Mr Bleijie said the North Harbour declaration had unlocked the potential for more than 3,700 additional homes after the proposal spent years attempting to progress through earlier planning processes.

“Twelve months later, we are turning the sod on the commencement of this Priority Development Area,” he said.

“As we do the early release, those works have now commenced—249 homes in the early release area—which is really exciting.”

A new chapter for North Harbour

North Harbour Project Director Bryan Finney said the start of construction represented the realisation of years of planning, advocacy and collaboration.

“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for North Harbour,” Mr Finney said.

“Those of us who have worked on this project for many years have long believed in the enormous potential of this extraordinary location to become one of the City of Moreton Bay’s great waterfront destinations, and today we take another important step towards making that vision a reality.”

While the first stage is focused on housing, the wider North Harbour vision extends well beyond a new residential community.

According to Economic Development Queensland’s plans for North Harbour, the project provides for a mixture of villas, detached homes and apartments, together with a marina containing approximately 400 wet berths, dry storage for around 500 boats, private pontoons, tourism facilities, retail, public open space, a hotel and a dedicated marine-industry precinct.

The Queensland Government estimates the completed development could support almost 2,000 ongoing jobs and contribute approximately $456 million to the Moreton Bay economy each year.

“This project has always been about much more than housing,” Mr Finney said.

“It is a transformative regional project. It will bring together new neighbourhoods, a world-class marina, recreation and tourism opportunities, right here in the City of Moreton Bay.”

Mr Finney said North Harbour would support new jobs, attract investment, strengthen the region’s marine and tourism industries, support local businesses and create new lifestyle opportunities for residents and visitors.

“A project of this scale can only happen through collaboration,” he said, acknowledging Economic Development Queensland, the City of Moreton Bay, contractors, project partners and the wider community.

Housing closer to home

Member for Pumicestone Ariana Doolan said it was encouraging to see physical work underway so soon after the PDA declaration.

“Less than 12 months ago, we declared this area a Priority Development Area, and it is great to see that within a year construction is underway,” Ms Doolan said.

“With 3,700 homes planned here at North Harbour, it is an important community for the future, and it is in one of the fastest-growing cities in Queensland.”

The announcement carries particular significance for Ms Doolan, who described the development as part of her own local community.

“This is my community. I live around here,” she said. “More and more people are coming, and they need to be able to live somewhere.”

That growth is already being felt across Burpengary East and the wider City of Moreton Bay.

Figures published with the Queensland Government’s announcement marking the beginning of construction indicate Burpengary East’s population has increased by 43 per cent since 2021.

The same announcement forecasts that the City of Moreton Bay will grow to approximately 792,700 residents by 2046 and will require about 125,800 additional homes over that period.

Industry welcomes speed of delivery

Urban Development Institute of Australia Queensland chief executive Kirsty Chessher-Brown said North Harbour demonstrated what could be achieved when government and industry worked towards a shared housing objective.

“This is a fantastic milestone for North Harbour,” Ms Chessher-Brown said.

“It also signifies, I think, what can be achieved when industry and government work together with a common goal of delivering housing—having not just an approval, but actually knowing that housing is well and truly on its way.”

She said the property-development industry needed governments to remain focused on streamlined assessment and approval processes, the delivery of development-ready land and the funding of enabling infrastructure.

“Again, this is a great example of how, when we get all of that just right, it comes to fruition and delivers housing for Queenslanders,” she said.

Infrastructure must keep pace

The beginning of work has generated considerable optimism, but public discussion surrounding North Harbour and Moreton Bay’s continuing growth has also carried a consistent message: new housing must be accompanied by roads, public transport, schools, healthcare, utilities and community facilities.

The Bruce Highway has been raised particularly often.

For many residents, the question is not whether new homes are needed—they clearly are—but whether major transport corridors will be expanded quickly enough to support the thousands of new households being planned across Burpengary, Morayfield, Caboolture and surrounding growth areas.

That concern is also being expressed at an institutional level. The City of Moreton Bay has identified transport infrastructure as critical to supporting the city’s rapid population growth and has continued to advocate for projects including the Bruce Highway Western Alternative and improved east-west transport connections.

There has already been substantial investment in the existing corridor. An 11-kilometre section of the Bruce Highway between Caboolture–Bribie Island Road and Steve Irwin Way was widened from four to six lanes, with the project completed in April 2024.

Planning has also progressed for further upgrades between Anzac Avenue at North Lakes and Caboolture–Bribie Island Road.

The preferred concept for the Anzac Avenue to Caboolture–Bribie Island Road section would add a fourth lane in each direction between Anzac Avenue and Uhlmann Road and construct separate collector-distributor roads between Uhlmann Road and Caboolture–Bribie Island Road.

Major changes are also proposed for the Uhlmann Road, Buchanan Road and Caboolture–Bribie Island Road interchanges.

However, while planning funding has been provided, funding for detailed design and construction of the remaining sections has not yet been committed.

That leaves a clear challenge—and opportunity—for all levels of government: match the speed now being demonstrated in housing approvals with the timely delivery of the infrastructure communities need.

A significant milestone

North Harbour will not be completed overnight. The development scheme, infrastructure arrangements and detailed planning for the broader PDA will continue to evolve through cooperation between Economic Development Queensland, the City of Moreton Bay, utility providers, government agencies, landowners and the community.

Information about the broader planning process and development scheme remains available through Economic Development Queensland’s North Harbour PDA consultation page.

But the commencement of the first 249 homes is tangible progress.

After years of uncertainty, machinery is preparing the ground, infrastructure is beginning to move forward and the next stage of North Harbour is no longer simply a proposal.

For a rapidly growing Moreton Bay, it is an upbeat milestone—and a timely reminder that the region’s future will depend not only on delivering more homes, but on building the roads, services, employment and community connections that make those homes great places to live.