Rural Zones

The purpose of this page is to explain the intent of the Rural zone within the Townsville City Plan.

Zones designate land for a particular use (for example: residential, industrial, or rural). All properties within Townsville are included in a zone. The Townsville City Plan identifies precincts for part of a zone. Precincts provide further clarity about the types of development intended in particular locations.

A planning scheme (referred to as Townsville City Plan) is a legal document that guides and regulates how land can be developed. The Townsville City Plan is made up of two key elements: a written component and maps.

Purpose of Rural Zone

The overall intent of the Rural zone is to protect Townsville’s most productive land and preserve its rural character. Urban land uses (such as commercial activities and residential facilities) are generally not supported in the Rural zone.

Rural land uses are spread throughout the Townsville region and provide for a wide range of rural activities including cropping, farming, intensive animal industries, animal husbandry, intensive horticulture and roadside stalls.

Non-rural uses can also occur in the Rural zone where they provide a service to the rural area (like small-scale tourist accommodation).

The natural environment and its values is also an important factor across the Rural zone. Development in this zone will need to protect natural values and may need to include buffers.

Land in the Rural zone is divided into five separate precincts:

  • grazing precinct
  • horticulture precinct
  • mixed farming precinct
  • Cungulla precinct
  • Jensen precinct.

These precincts recognise the diversity of land characteristics within the Rural zone and direct development to appropriate areas based on the productive value of the land. These precincts also state the minimum lot sizes for land in the Rural zone to protect the viability of rural land.

Other Information of Interest to the Rural Zones

The Development Codes and Overlays pages provide information about other aspects of the Rural zone.

Development Codes

Part 9 of the Townsville City Plan contains the development codes. This series of codes manages engineering and design standards, including servicing, subdivision, parking, access, landscaping and signage. Uses in the Rural zone will need to consider many of these codes when undertaking development.

Overlays

Overlays that affect a lot will need consideration in conjunction with the Rural zone codes. Development will need to respond to the overlays ensuring the appropriate design outcomes are achieved whilst complying with the objectives and purpose of the zone codes. In some cases, overlays will determine the overall development outcomes in response to the nature of the overlay, for example, to avoid the impacts of flooding.

Rural Zone Overview

The Townsville City Plan has used the Planning Regulation 2017 requirements for zones (including names and colours). Use definitions are represented in the Townsville City Plan in Schedule 1.

The following information identifies the overall intent of the Townsville City Plan Rural zone, Rural zone precincts and intended development.

Rural Zone

Purpose:

  • provides for a wide range of rural uses (refer to precincts below) including cropping, intensive horticulture, intensive animal industries, animal husbandry, animal keeping and other primary production activities and ancillary detached houses.

Examples of Intended Development:

  • animal husbandry
  • animal keeping (if not a cattery or kennel)
  • aquaculture
  • cropping
  • dwelling house
  • extractive resource
  • home based business
  • intensive animal industry
  • roadside stall
  • rural industry.

Purpose:

  • provides for a mix of both low-intensity animal husbandry and also encourages cropping activities, particularly on good quality agricultural land
  • the Townsville City Plan provides for a minimum lot size of 400 hectares in the Ross River Dam catchment and 40 hectares in all other areas.

Examples of Intended Development:

  • animal husbandry
  • aquaculture
  • cropping
  • intensive animal industry
  • rural industry.

Purpose:

  • provides for intensive horticulture and cropping activities
  • the productive capacity of this land is a priority
  • the Townsville City Plan provides for a minimum lot size of 40 hectares.

Examples of Intended Development:

  • cropping
  • home based business
  • rural industry.

Purpose:

  • provides for broad grazing activities, cropping and animal husbandry
  • the Townsville City Plan provides for a minimum lot size of 400 hectares in order to preserve the capacity of the Grazing precinct to provide for larger scale rural activities, and protect the viability of rural land.

Examples of  Intended Development:

  • animal keeping
  • aquaculture
  • intensive animal industry
  • rural industry.

Purpose:

  • provides for the continuation of residential developments and rural uses that have occurred historically in the area.

Example of Intended Development:

  • dwelling house.

Purpose:

  • provides for smaller rural living lots
  • the Townsville City Plan provides for a minimum lot size of 10 hectares.

Example of Intended Development:

  • dwelling house.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum lot size in my precinct?

The Grazing precinct has a minimum lot size of 400 hectares, the Horticulture precinct has a minimum lot size of 40 hectares, the Mixed farming precinct has a minimum lot size of 40 hectares and the Cungulla and Jensen precincts have a minimum lot size of 10 hectares. If a land parcel is situated in the Ross River Dam catchment, the minimum lot size is 400 hectares.

Can I put a second dwelling on my property?

In most circumstances, you can have two dwellings (dwelling house, caretaker’s accommodation, community residence) on a rural property.