The potential for future urban sprawl on the Gold Coast could be managed by making smaller housing blocks.
A detailed report to increase housing density by making blocks smaller in suburbs to address the issue is under consideration by the Gold Coast City Council, Domain reports.
In 2015, the Gold Coast's population was recorded at 555,851, but this figure is forecast to expand by an estimated 300,000 by 2035.
Something in the Gold Coast's new city plan described as "an anomaly" by the Queensland government has been identified regarding the minimum size of a block of land in the area - and changes have been directed accordingly.
Jackie Trad, deputy premier and local government minister for Queensland, wrote to the city council pointing out that the Gold Coast allows two homes on an 800 sq m block - despite having a minimum block size of 600 sq m.
As a result, only around 25,000 new lots could be created throughout the city - even if every available residential block that could be sliced into 400 sq m blocks was reduced in size.
A report on these matters has been carried out by planning officers and discussed by the council's planning committee.
Planning Committee chair Cameron Caldwell said: "They want us to investigate whether we should set a minimum block size of 400 sq m."
Mr Caldwell added that the local government minister had raised an important issue: "The minister has picked up something and we have got to deal with it."
