A new Territory Plan

The new Territory Plan will deliver an ‘outcomes-focussed’ planning system. An outcomes focus means the new Territory Plan is centred on quality, results and performance rather than just compliance with prescribed technical rules. It places greater importance on how developments perform in their setting to achieve wellbeing, social, environmental, cultural and other priority outcomes.

An easier-to-use and outcomes-focussed Territory Plan will provide greater flexibility in the way developments can be designed and allow greater emphasis on improving design quality and built outcomes for all Canberrans. The key policy changes in the draft Territory Plan are outlined in the Draft Territory Plan Supporting Report.

During the consultation on the draft district strategies and draft Territory Plan, the community had the opportunity to ask questions to our planners. You can find these on the Ask a Question page.

You can also view the range of consultation activities we undertook with the community during February on the Engagement schedule page.

Other Territory Plan policy changes

As part of the consultation on the proposed Territory Plan, policy changes were included to facilitate the delivery of four demonstration housing projects, zoning changes to facilitate the expansion of Garran Primary School and changes to the requirements for the Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre.

You can read more detail about this at pages 8 and 77-86 in the Supporting Report.

Dual Occupancy Developments

As Canberra grows, the ACT Government is committed to providing a diversity of different housing types.

As part of the new Territory Plan, the Government wanted to hear from Canberrans on whether more single residential homes should be built within our existing suburbs through increasing dual occupancy developments. Creating dual occupancy homes means allowing two single dwelling properties, with separate title, to be built on the same block. This is currently not permitted under zoning requirements for the majority of Canberra’s suburbs.

This is a similar concept to changes introduced for some larger blocks purchased through the Asbestos Buyback Scheme, which allowed for dual occupancy developments. Changes in this space (for example, allowing for dual occupancy on larger blocks in RZ1 areas of the city or expanding RZ2 zones) will provide the possibility for more single residential homes available in many of Canberra’s established suburbs.

Any changes will necessarily protect suburb character, while being undertaken to increase housing access, affordability and choice.

The community will be integral to the government’s future policy decisions around suburban blocks. The consultation sought to understand whether review of applicable uses within these zones is of value and what specific provisions and protections the community would envisage a consideration of changes to dual occupancy developments might include.

The Government was also keen to hear form the community on protections and provisions that would form part of the Government’s consideration, including minimum block size, living infrastructure, setbacks and design requirements. Protections and provisions may also include location of blocks (including proximity to centres and transport), heritage, environmental and character considerations of existing suburbs.