Two of our focus areas for the new planning system are related to strategic planning and providing greater opportunities for people to interact with the planning system. One of the ways that we considered these focus areas was through a series of district planning community workshops in June – July 2021. The workshops enabled us to better understand the community’s perspectives and priorities for their areas. The key insights from these sessions are outlined in the District Planning Engagement Report.

What we heard

The Engagement Report outlines participants’ views and perspectives through 16 distinct themes, categorised into four main areas. Some of the feedback we received, whilst valuable, is not directly influenced by or related to the planning system .

For example, we heard that playgrounds and recreation spaces across Canberra required maintenance and upgrades. While through the planning system we consider and plan for where community facilities (e.g., playgrounds) might be needed across the city, the actual delivery and ongoing maintenance of playgrounds are not provided through the planning system. As part of the ACT Government’s ‘no wrong door’ policy, we will be sharing the engagement report with other agencies across the ACT Government where the feedback we collected relates to their work.

How will we use your input

This Engagement Report is only one of many inputs that will contribute to the development of district strategies. A range of ACT Government policies, strategies and legislation will provide valuable context and guidance for the new planning system and district strategies. These documents, such as the ACT Planning Strategy and 2018 Housing Strategy, will provide the tangible foundation and framework that we can use to build a planning system that delivers great outcomes across our city.

In 2022 we will be developing draft District Strategies and there will be an opportunity for the Canberra community to provide targeted feedback and input across the eight districts.