Page 2617 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 21 September 2022
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acknowledges the expanded role of the authority in seeking better development outcomes and considering development applications from a performance perspective.
The bill will also provide for the appointment of a chief planner as the statutory office holder who performs the functions of the Territory Planning Authority, similar to the chief planning executive of the current planning and land authority. The bill outlines several complementary provisions that will enable the Territory Planning Authority to perform its increased functions throughout the planning system.
The bill will support the ACT planning strategy’s current territory and city-wide focus with a district focus, by introducing district strategies. District strategies will be prepared for nine districts: Belconnen, Tuggeranong, Woden, Molonglo, Weston Creek, inner south, inner north and city, Gungahlin and east Canberra. The district strategies will continue the strategic and spatial planning expressed through the planning strategy at the district level, using the same long-term time frame. They will contribute to a line of sight between our planning policies and documents, including this bill and the Territory Plan.
The strategies will identify areas for future detailed planning, such as planning studies and investigations, and contain long-term planning policy and goals for each district, while considering the special characteristics that make each district unique. They will guide and manage change at and below the district level. The district strategies will be reviewed at least every five years.
The bill will require a new Territory Plan. The Territory Plan will give effect to the planning strategy and district strategies and support greater connection with other government strategies, policies and plans. The bill also sets out two pathways to amend the Territory Plan. Firstly, major amendments will require consultation with the community and the National Capital Authority before being considered by the minister and will be subject to Legislative Assembly review. Minor amendments are the same as the technical amendments under the current Planning and Development Act and will be considered by the Territory Planning Authority.
The bill will also introduce a process for an interim Territory Plan, to be approved by the Legislative Assembly, and for it to be operational while the interim Territory Plan is referred to the Legislative Assembly standing committee. Following the committee advice and further government consideration, the amended or unamended Territory Plan can be presented back to the Legislative Assembly for final approval.
The bill will introduce a revised development assessment process to support the shift to an outcomes-focused planning system. It will simplify development assessment into a single, efficient and transparent pathway, with an additional requirement around significant development. It will maintain the entity referral, public notification and procedural safeguards from the Planning and Development Act, which have worked well. A concept of significant development will be introduced as another type of assessable development. Significant development will involve the consideration of additional matters such as proposals requiring design review, environmental impact assessment or subdivision design.
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