The scrapping of mandatory height limits for new buildings in some parts of Brisbane's CBD is a step closer but it will not lead to open slather on the size of skyscrapers.
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The proposal, which has been flagged for years, was one of the several planning changes adopted by the Brisbane City Council on Tuesday.
It will now need state government approval.
Despite the lack of mandatory height limits, major towers would still need to comply with state aviation regulations, which specify that buildings in the city cannot be taller than 274 metres.
Major development proposals would also need to be judged by council planning officers on a case-by-case basis.
Under the Draft City Centre Neighbourhood Plan, skyscrapers could be built anywhere in the CBD other than the Quay Street or Howard Smith Wharves precincts.
The buildings would need to be constructed on sites larger than 3000 square metres.
With the council predicting 50 new towers will be built in Brisbane during the next two decades, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said he expected to see top-class architecture in the city.
"We're not going to be determining how many new buildings come to the CBD," he said. "That will be something that the market will determine...who knows what twists and turns the economy may take in the future."
Labor opposition councillor Shayne Sutton described the neighbourhood plan as "uninspiring and lacklustre", saying it didn't respond to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists.
Another opposition member, Helen Abrahams, claimed a lack of mandatory height rules would be exploited.
"It means that the developers get what they want," she said.
The draft plan also proposed creating five CBD precincts with different development rules.
A "retail precinct" would cover part of Adelaide, Queen, Elizabeth and Edward streets.
The Queens Wharf area would be set aside for an integrated resort development, likely to be a casino with high-end dining and entertainment.
Designs of buildings in the Quay Street precinct on the city's fringe should be similar to those seen in Milton and Petrie Terrace, the plan says.
A River Precinct would stretch from the eastern end of Alice Street to the Story Bridge, and would emphasise public open space and the Riverwalk.
On the other side of the bridge would be the Howard Smith Wharves precinct, featuring high-class dining, retail, heritage buildings and parkland.
In endorsing the Draft City Centre Neighbourhood Plan, Lord Mayor Quirk lamented that there would be no Bus and Train Tunnel, which was a pet project of the former LNP state government.
"One of the projects that would have been very good for this CBD was the BaT Tunnel," he said. "It's off the agenda, it's a shame it's off the agenda.
"That project would have removed about 200 buses in the peak hours in our CBD off the surface streets."
The Draft City Centre Neighbourhood Plan is different to the council's City Plan, which was released last year and provides a broader view of how Brisbane will look by 2034.
