Shops, cafés and offices in Townsville — do you need approval?
Townsville City Council's planning scheme — the Townsville City Plan — decides whether a shop, café or office needs a development application, and the answer depends on the zone your property is in. Below is what its table of assessment says for each zone; or check your own address.
In a low density residential zone
Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions). A shop, café or office is not listed in the Low density residential zone, so it falls under the 'any other use' row and needs an impact assessable development application, which the public can comment on.
I don't know my zone — choose my council instead
The zone is on your rates notice, or a Landbrief site report will find it for you.
Zone by zone
Shop / Food and drink outlet / Office. Residential zones first.
| Zone | What the table says | Conditions | What you'll need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low density residential zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.1 | Shop, food and drink outlet and office is not a listed use in this zone | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Medium density residential zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.2 | if not in the Picnic Bay, Nelly Bay tourist, North Ward villages (Gregory Street frontage), Hyde Park medium density or Aitkenvale village precinct (there a ground-floor shop, office or café up to 250 m² is code assessable; The Strand precinct allows a café only)If not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| High density residential zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.4 | if the gross floor area does not exceed 250 m² and the use is on the ground floor (a food and drink outlet on the ground or first floor of an existing building up to 250 m² is accepted subject to requirements)If not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: High density residential zone code, Healthy waters code, Landscape code, Transport impact, access and parking code, Works code |
| Character residential zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.6 | Shop, food and drink outlet and office is not a listed use in this zone | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Rural residential zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.5 | Shop, food and drink outlet and office is not a listed use in this zone | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Emerging community zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.22 | Shop, food and drink outlet and office is not a listed use in this zone | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Community facilities zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.16 | for a shop or a food and drink outlet without a drive-through with gross floor area no more than 250 m²; an office is not listed (impact)If not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: Community facilities zone code, Healthy waters code, Landscape code, Transport impact, access and parking code, Works code |
| District centre zone | Accepted if you meet the requirements Table 5.5.9 | if within an existing building and not involving more than minor building work (a food and drink outlet must not have a drive-through); otherwise code assessable if the gross floor area does not exceed 4,200 m²If not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: District centre zone code, Works code |
| Environmental management and conservation zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.17 | for a shop or food and drink outlet with gross floor area no more than 100 m²; an office is not listed (impact)If not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: Environmental management and conservation zone code, Healthy waters code, Landscape code, Transport impact, access and parking code, Works code |
| High impact industry zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.20 | for a shop or office (not listed); a food and drink outlet up to 150 m² is accepted subject to requirementsIf not met: accepted if you meet the requirements. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Local centre zone | Accepted if you meet the requirements Table 5.5.8 | if within an existing building and not involving more than minor building work (a food and drink outlet must not have a drive-through); otherwise code assessable if the gross floor area does not exceed 1,000 m²If not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: Local centre zone code, Works code |
| Low impact industry zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.18 | for a shop or office (not listed); a food and drink outlet up to 150 m² is accepted subject to requirements outside the Nelly Bay low impact industry precinct and code assessable inside itIf not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Major centre zone | Accepted if you meet the requirements Table 5.5.10 | if within an existing building and not involving more than minor building work; shops must not be in the Thuringowa centre support sub-precinct; otherwise code assessable if the gross floor area does not exceed 6,000 m²If not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: Major centre zone code, Works code |
| Medium impact industry zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.19 | for a shop or office (not listed); a food and drink outlet in an existing building outside the Roseneath precinct is accepted subject to requirements, otherwise code assessable up to 150 m²If not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Mixed use zone | Accepted if you meet the requirements Table 5.5.13 | if within an existing building and not involving more than minor building work and the gross floor area does not exceed 500 m²; otherwise code assessable up to 1,000 m² (a food and drink outlet in an existing building has no area limit)If not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: Mixed use zone code, Works code |
| Neighbourhood centre zone | Accepted if you meet the requirements Table 5.5.7 | if within an existing building and not involving more than minor building work (a food and drink outlet must not have a drive-through); otherwise code assessable if the gross floor area does not exceed 500 m²If not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: Neighbourhood centre zone code, Works code |
| Open space zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.15 | outside the Riverway precinct for a shop, and for any office; a food and drink outlet up to 150 m² (or any size in the Riverway precinct) and a shop in the Riverway precinct are code assessableIf not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Principal centre zone | Accepted if you meet the requirements Table 5.5.11 | if within an existing building and not involving more than minor building work; otherwise code assessable unless in the Civic and administration precinct and over 8 storeysIf not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: Works code |
| Rural zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.21 | Shop, food and drink outlet and office is not a listed use in this zone | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Special purpose zone | It depends — see below Table 5.5.23 | in the Townsville State Development Area | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: Development Scheme for the Townsville State Development Area |
| Specialised centre zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.12 | for a shop or office outside the James Cook University-Townsville University Hospital precinct (office is not listed at all); a food and drink outlet up to 250 m² (1,000 m² in that precinct) and a shop up to 1,000 m² in that precinct are code assessableIf not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: The planning scheme |
| Sport and recreation zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.14 | for a shop (not in the Lansdown motor sport facility precinct) or a food and drink outlet without a drive-through, with gross floor area no more than 250 m²; an office is not listed (impact)If not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Building approval; Food licence (for a café)Assessed against: Sport and recreation zone code, Healthy waters code, Landscape code, Transport impact, access and parking code, Works code |
Overlays that change the answer
- Extractive resources overlay. Any change of use other than a dwelling house, home based business, animal husbandry, cropping or associated caretaker's accommodation becomes code assessable against the Extractive resources overlay code (the higher category applies where the zone says impact). (Table 5.9.1 Extractive resources and mining overlay)
- Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay — high pressure gas pipeline buffer (100 m). A dwelling house becomes impact assessable unless in the Low density or Character residential zone; any other change of use becomes impact assessable. (Table 5.9.1 Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay)
- Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay — electricity transmission line easement. A dwelling house becomes impact assessable unless in the Low density or Character residential zone; a dual occupancy, and any change of use within the mapped buffer (OM-08.3), becomes code assessable. (Table 5.9.1 Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay)
- Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay — water supply pipeline buffer. A dwelling house becomes code assessable unless in the Low density or Character residential zone; a dual occupancy, and any change of use within the mapped buffer, becomes code assessable. (Table 5.9.1 Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay)
- Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay — water treatment and wastewater treatment facility buffers. A dwelling house becomes impact assessable unless in the Low density or Character residential zone; a dual occupancy becomes impact assessable; any other change of use within the mapped buffer becomes code assessable. (Table 5.9.1 Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay)
- Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay — waste management facility buffer. A dwelling house becomes code assessable unless in the Low density or Character residential zone; a dual occupancy, and any change of use within the mapped buffer, becomes code assessable. (Table 5.9.1 Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay)
- Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay — explosive reserve buffer area. A multiple dwelling, office, shopping centre or home based child care business becomes impact assessable. (Table 5.9.1 Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay)
- Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay — stock route network. A dwelling house becomes code assessable unless in the Low density or Character residential zone; any other change of use, reconfiguring a lot and operational work become code assessable. (Table 5.9.1 Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay)
- Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay — shooting range impact area buffers. A dwelling house becomes code assessable unless in the Low density or Character residential zone; any change of use within the mapped shooting range impact area becomes code assessable. (Table 5.9.1 Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay)
- Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay — hazardous chemical facility buffer. A dwelling house becomes impact assessable unless in the Low density or Character residential zone; a dual occupancy, multiple dwelling, office, shopping centre or home based child care becomes impact assessable. (Table 5.9.1 Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay)
Worth knowing in Townsville
Townsville City Plan (Version 2025/01), Part 5, converted from the council's Part 5 PDF (not an official copy). A material change of use not listed in a zone table, or not meeting the listed description, is impact assessable; reconfiguring a lot is code assessable unless Table 5.6.1 says otherwise; building work and operational work are accepted unless Tables 5.7 / 5.8 or an overlay say otherwise (section 5.3.2). Accepted development subject to requirements that doesn't meet its requirements becomes code assessable (section 5.3.3(2)). Townsville regulates building work in Table 5.7.1 only in the Character residential zone (contributing character buildings and work near the street façade — see SC6.2); elsewhere building work is regulated only through overlays (heritage, flood, coastal). A building approval under the Building Act is always still needed. Granny flats: only the Low density and Rural residential zones split out a 'secondary dwelling' (accepted subject to requirements); the Rural and Emerging community zones cap a lot at two dwellings. Dual occupancy is accepted in the Low (outside the Stables precinct), Medium and High density and Character residential zones. Schedule 6 of the Planning Regulation 2017 overrides the scheme — e.g. a dwelling house in a residential zone (other than Medium or High density) can't be made assessable unless a relevant overlay applies; the Major infrastructure and hazardous facilities overlay isn't a relevant overlay, so its dwelling-house triggers don't apply in the Low density or Character residential zones. Many centre, mixed use and medium density rows vary by precinct (e.g. Table 5.5.3 storey limits of 2–8 storeys by precinct for multiple dwellings in the Medium density residential zone; Breakwater, Thuringowa centre support, Civic and administration, James Cook University–Townsville University Hospital precincts) — check the conditions. Local plans are not used in this scheme. The Special purpose zone covers the Townsville State Development Area, where change of use, subdivision and vegetation clearing are decided by the Coordinator-General. Operational work filling or excavation within 1.5 m of a boundary deeper than 300 mm, deeper than 1 m, or 100 m³ or more is code assessable in every zone (10 m³ in the high/medium flood hazard area). Where premises are in more than one zone or overlay, the highest category applies to the affected part. The Transport noise corridor overlay is for information only. The source Part 5 extract was a PDF conversion: Table 5.5.12 (Specialised centre) splits across chunks and the Table 5.8.2 advertising-device extract is incomplete.
What else you'll need
- Building approval
- Food licence (for a café)
More about Townsville
- What can you build in Townsville? Council overview and development applications
- Every Queensland zone explained, with what each council allows and the planning overlays that change the answer
- What Townsville City Council charges for a development application, compared with other councils
- A Landbrief site report for your Townsville address — every planning layer that applies to the lot
Other projects in Townsville
Granny flatDual occupancySubdivideShed or carportExtensionPoolFence or wallHome businessTownhousesClear treesDemolish
The statewide position on this project: Shop, café or office in Queensland.
Read from the Townsville City Plan tables of assessment. General information, not advice. The council's planning scheme and the Planning Act 2016 decide — confirm with the council or a town planner before you build.