In his state of the region report, Flannery said the urban footprint of Moreton had to be contained to 25 per cent with the remaining 75 per cent protected from urban development.

That was the only way to protect important rural areas, greenspace and habitat for wildlife.

The Moreton Council area includes Caboolture, which is one of the big growth areas for greater Brisbane. Over the next 40 years the development of Caboolture West would become a city of 70,000 people within 30,000 new homes, but would also include 970 ha of green space within the 3480ha footprint.

The council region stretches from Samford in the south to Bellthorpe in the north and includes part of Bribie Island.

Flannery said if Moreton was successful it would be the green belt between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast and the lungs of south east Queensland.

His plan follows a population surge in the south east that has put pressure on housing with rents currently growing at the fastest rate in Australia and homelessness becoming a major issue.

“That means limiting new greenfield housing construction, which means a serious conversation as a community about how we manage growth and a big part of that is building up, rather than out.

“Specifically, where we can sustainable create greater density in order to provide for human population growth in order to protect the homes of native animals.”

Flannery said Moreton had to learn from the mistakes of other councils and make a real difference.

To that end, Moreton wanted to divert 85 per cent of its waste from landfill and increase recycling by 70 per cent by 2040.

But Flannery still wants the region to be classified as a city and direct investment away from one single central business district by building community centres.