The Act prevented the subdivision of land by speculators and developers into lots less than 16 perches (405 square metres (4,360 sq ft)).
Many middle-class and wealthier land owners preferred to buy two adjoining 16-perch allotments and build a larger house straddling the two lots.
One Member of the Legislative Council reportedly argued for a minimum lot size of 32 perches — that is, 809 square metres (8,710 sq ft) — during debate.
[1] While the Act made Brisbane and other Queensland cities a more attractive and less overcrowded place to live and raise families and allowed each household to grow a garden, it did have its disadvantages, the main one being that the resulting low population density made it more expensive to provide urban services such as sewerage, paving and street lighting.
Nor was Brisbane spared the horror of slum development - suburbs such as West End and Red Hill were long known for their general poverty and low socio-economic status, even if they weren't as overcrowded as similarly impoverished districts in Sydney and Melbourne.