Cairns Housing Pipeline by the Numbers: 18,500 Homes Targeted in Mount Peter

Mount Peter was declared a Priority Development Area in July 2025, a step that unlocks 18,500 new homes over 20 to 30 years according to the Cairns Regional Council planning portal.

The low vacancy rate recorded at 0.76 per cent in December 2024 has kept demand high for new stock in outer growth areas and established suburbs alike. Council records list 45 separate estate developments now active across 20 suburbs that include Brinsmead, Manunda, Trinity Beach, Redlynch and Palm Cove.

Mount Peter and Pinecrest numbers

Pinecrest Estate inside the Mount Peter area has already released 1,500 blocks. The broader Priority Development Area designation covers land that will absorb the remaining balance of the 18,500-home target over the coming decades, with the first stages feeding directly into the current shortage.

Smithfield and Redlynch continue to appear on buyer lists because both sit close to existing infrastructure while still offering new lots within the same 45-estate program tracked by council.

Woree and CBD infill counts

The Woree Social and Affordable Housing Precinct is scheduled to deliver 490 homes and reach completion in 2026. The project is listed as Queensland’s largest social and affordable housing development and Cairns’ largest apartment scheme.

Separately, the Cairns City Precincts Urban Regeneration Project focuses on four defined zones: CBD, Major Events, Health and CBD South. Its aim is to increase infill housing inside the city centre rather than on greenfield sites.

Buyers checking stock in the next six months can review the open-lot listings for the 45 estates and the specific release schedules published on the council’s planning scheme pages. Those documents show which stages have titles available and which remain in the design or approval pipeline.