Qld government defends request to remove 586 affordable homes from developments

The Lakesview Robina project was originally slated to have 550 low-cost homes. (Supplied)

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate has called for the state to guarantee more affordable homes after 550 were scrapped from a new development.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie wrote to developers in May requesting the removal of an affordable housing component for two south-east Queensland developments.

Mr Bleijie has defended the decision, saying it will lead to an increase in housing supply.

The Gold Coast mayor says the state government will have to guarantee more affordable homes to make up for the 550 lost from a new development.

The Labor opposition has called out Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie's move to write to developers last month and request the removal of an affordable housing component from applications for two south-east Queensland developments.

Mr Bleijie directed developers to remove 550 low-cost homes from a 2,500 property development at Robina and Merrimac — which was approved on Tuesday — and 36 homes from a project at Lutwyche in Brisbane.

Both developments are part of the state-facilitated development (SFD) program, with approval resting with the state instead of local council.

The program introduced by Labor previously required at least 15 per cent of homes to be affordable, a component that was dumped in March.

The Gold Coast development was approved by the state on Tuesday. (Supplied)

In a letter seen by the ABC, Walker Group Holdings wrote to the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning in response to a request to remove the affordable housing component from plans for the Gold Coast site.

"Walker supports the requested change and confirms that the application has been amended to remove the minimum affordable housing requirement and reallocate those dwellings as standard market-rate housing," it said.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate called on the government to detail where affordable houses would now be built for those who need them most.

Cr Tate said compassion should be a number one priority for the "hidden homeless".

Tom Tate wants to know where affordable homes will be built. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

"I've met teachers who live in cars, marking papers in cars and then going to work," he said.

"If you've got affordable housing, whether they can buy it or you bring down the rent, at least we can get them out of cars.

Mr Blejie defended the government's decision to ditch mandates, saying increasing supply would lead to houses becoming more affordable.

"When you restrict, and you put mandates on builders and companies, you