Page 568 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012
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then force us to find more ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our existing buildings and transport infrastructure, which is often a more costly process.
This bill requires that larger scale development plans—that is, structure plans, concept plans and estate development plans—be compatible with greenhouse gas reduction targets. These plans cover the layout of suburbs, which affects transport planning and building orientation. The bill also requires a climate change impact assessment to be undertaken for larger scale impact track development applications.
Apart from impact track developments, the bill does not cover individual building approvals. The way our planning system is set up means that the Assembly cannot easily change requirements for individual building approvals. However, the bill requires the planning authority, ACTPLA, to revise the territory plan by December 2013 to ensure that the plan is compatible with the greenhouse gas targets. And the territory plan would also need to be revised every five years after that with the same aim.
We would expect that this revision would lead to a number of changes in the planning codes, such as the territory plan requiring buildings to be consistent with our greenhouse gas reduction targets. In the short term this could be a move to a seven-star energy efficiency rating requirement, but over time we expect that this could mean incremental increases to carbon neutrality. The bill would also require ACTPLA to report annually on greenhouse gas emissions expected from approved developments.
The problems with the current planning system are basically around the fact that the ACT planning system does not currently include practical consideration of how new development proposals will contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. There is no guidance for decision makers to determine whether large developments, such as those in the impact track, are going to help or hinder the ACT to meet our legislated emissions targets.
It is also disappointing that greenhouse gas emissions are not one of the targets of the draft ACT planning strategy. I note that one target in the strategy is about achieving higher density, but this in itself will not necessarily reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, in fact, could lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
Our current planning codes include many perverse things such as a higher plot ratio for single dwellings than dual occupancies, which just goes to encourage larger houses; restrictions on secondary dwellings on blocks, also known as granny flats, which require the dwellings to be removed when granny leaves; lower EER requirements for multi-unit housing; strict rules and criteria which do not allow for sustainable innovation; and there will no longer, with 306, be any requirement for houses to face north.
What will this bill mean for development in the ACT? Development in the ACT will continue, but it will be more sustainable and more responsive to greenhouse gas emissions. This will mean that new suburbs better incorporate such things as good public transport, cycle paths and footpaths to reduce transport emissions, planning for
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