Cairns City Precincts Urban Regeneration Project

Completed

Plans & strategies

The City Precincts project spanned the Cairns CBD and three major precincts including the Major Events Centre (including Barlow Park and the Cairns Showgrounds), the Health Precinct (encompassing Cairns Hospital and the JCU Health and Innovation Precinct) and the CBD South (featuring areas such as Abbott Street, Grafton Street, and Wharf Street).

Our CBD’s population is projected to grow by 32% in the next 25 years. So how can we encourage diverse and affordable housing while making it more a liveable and connected place?

The Cairns City Precincts Urban Regeneration Project Design Report ( PDF, 19.35 MB ) was officially released on 28 May 2025. This bold initiative encourages residential investment and revitalisation of key city areas.

The regeneration roadmap outlines a long-term plan for a more vibrant, connected and liveable Cairns through a mix of urban improvement and policy reform. It includes detailed, costed projects and policy recommendations designed to attract investment and support infill housing.

The project aligns with broader Council plans like the Major Events Precinct Master Plan, Cairns City Centre Masterplan, and the Towards 2050 Growth Management Plan. It also complements Council’s Development and Incentives Policy, which waives infrastructure charges for eligible infill housing in targeted precincts.

Download the report

About the project

The project was developed with funding from the Australian Government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts under the Housing Support Program – Stream 1 funding.

The videos below explain more about the project and the Design Futures Forum held in Cairns in June 2025. The Forum, hosted by Council, was a conversation with local and interstate experts on design-led housing solutions at the intersection of culture, community and resilience. It delivered dynamic insights on fresh ideas and innovative solutions for the future of housing in our region.

Project themes and roadmap

The vision spans the Cairns CBD and three major precincts:

Major Events Centre – including Barlow Park and the Cairns Showgrounds
Health Precinct – encompassing Cairns Hospital and the JCU Health and Innovation Precinct
CBD South – featuring areas such as Abbott Street, Grafton Street, and Wharf Street

It proposes a mix of urban improvement and policy reform, including:

Enhancing public space quality and connectivity
Expanding the urban canopy
Implementing resilience and hazard mitigation measures
Improving connectivity, walkability
Boosting economic and social vibrancy
Reflecting the community’s diversity
Tailored planning policy that responses to Cairns’ housing needs, climate, demographics and construction feasibility

There is strong alignment with work underway across Council, including Major Events Precinct master planning, Towards 2050 and City Centre masterplan initiatives. It also complements Council’s existing efforts to provide additional housing in the CBD through the development and incentives policy, which waives headworks charges for high quality infill development in targeted areas.

The project roadmap and precinct plans enable Council to:

Focus investment and:infrastructure upgrades on recommended project priorities,
Implement project planning recommendations with amendments to the Planning Scheme, as the regulatory tool to improve efficiency and capacity to make decisions.
Communicate with community and industry on the direction for growth to align with directions from the Towards 2050 Growth Strategy

Project timeline

Phase 1: Project establishment (October to December 2024)

This phase seeks to understand the relevant planning, design and policy context for the study area to inform the project’s development by engaging with Council and elected representatives.

Phase 2: Early concept design (December 2024 - January 2025)

This phase will develop and refine design options for the precinct with input from key industry and government stakeholders, and the wider Cairns community.

Phase 3: Developed design (January - April 2025)

This phase will develop detailed design options for inclusion in precinct plans based on design outputs from Phase 1 and 2 Design Hubs. It will also include high level precinct roadmaps and cost estimates for future consideration by Council.

Phase 4: Precinct finalisation (April - May 2025)

This phase will present recommendations for a Precinct Plan for consideration by Council. It will report on engagement findings from previous phases and show how feedback has influenced the final designs. Precinct roadmaps will also be provided to assist with possible future implementation of final design options.