Brisbane's Cultural Centre might look like a collection of bland concrete boxes to some, but to others it's a heritage gem worth protecting.

The Cultural Centre – including the Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland Museum, QPAC, the Cultural Forecourt and The Edge at the State Library of Queensland – will be protected under a new Conservation Management Plan to guide future planning and development.

The Queensland Cultural Centre in the 1980s. Credit:Fairfax Media

The South Bank site was heritage-listed in 2015.

Premier and Arts Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Cultural Centre was a much-loved and iconic Brisbane site and the formal guidelines would protect its heritage significance while allowing it to adapt to future needs.