The big housing squeeze is on in earnest on the land-constrained Gold Coast with the green light given to plans for a beachside enclave of homes on lots as small as 74 square metres.

Gallery Group has won approval for the scheme, which is primarily designed to overcome feasibility challenges to developing the Surfers Paradise site.

But as well as providing an alternative to highrise development that enables faster delivery timeframes and lowers development risk, it also addresses the South-East Queensland Regional Plan’s projected need for almost 160,000 new homes across the city by 2046—including “gentle density” on infill sites.