The project is being undertaken in three stages.

1. Investigation – examine feedback and identify drivers for change; identify challenges, opportunities and gaps; examine best practice and other jurisdictions
2. Strategic directions – identify focus areas for change; identify proposed approaches to address challenges and gaps, and to maximise opportunities; outline how directions could be implemented to improve system and elements
3. Implementation – undertake changes to elements of the planning system

The outcomes of the review will inform relevant changes to the ACT Planning and Development Act and Territory Plan.

The ACT Government has heard ideas and feedback through various engagement processes in recent years for the ACT Planning Strategy, Housing Strategy, Housing Choices, Climate Change Strategy, Transport Strategy, Statement of Planning Intent, master plans and variations to the Territory Plan. We have also received direct correspondence from the community on specific planning matters.

The ACT Government has also begun consultation with community and industry stakeholders through various activities. Further information about these activities can be found on the Engagement Outcomes page.

We have heard that people consider that the existing system is complex, and seems inconsistent including:

• the way land uses are identified and specified is inconsistent
• there is no common approach to planning controls for zoning, building height or density
• the role of compliance is unclear
• the community’s role in the system is unclear and has led to a lack of trust in the planning process and Directorate

We have heard the existing development assessment system seems inflexible including examples such as:

• the way the system is used to assess development can have unintended outcomes –development is approved that might not be a positive outcome yet high-quality, innovative development is not approved, or goes through a detailed and onerous assessment process prior to approval.
• the system does not allow the consideration of both compliance and merit in the assessment of development applications

We have heard that character, context and design don’t seem to have appropriate consideration and clarity in the planning system:

• consideration of local character and context isn’t expressed in plans and therefore in how it is considered in designing and assessing developments
• lack of status or enforcement of master plans but they include character and context information (these are not statutory documents)
• there are numerous zones within the Territory Plan and the outcomes they seek are not clear (e.g. commercial zones that permit residential land uses)

The refreshed ACT Planning Strategy 2018 flagged that district-level planning may be relevant to consider. How we can consider providing direction on planning at the more local scale is an area we are interested in for the review project.

The government has implemented some initiatives already including the Design Review Panel and Building Quality reforms.

The National Capital Design Review Panel is a panel of experts that undertakes design review of development proposals. For more information visit https://www.planning.act.gov.au/talk-with-us/boards-councils-committees-panels-and-other-bodies/national-capital-design-review-panel

The government is also undertaking the Better Building Quality and Managing Buildings Better reform projects to support the delivery of buildings that are better designed, constructed, operated and maintained.

Our city is growing. We anticipate needing 100,000 new homes in the next 25 years. The ACT Planning Strategy 2018 sets out the vision for our city into the future witha move toward 70% of new homes being built in existing urban areas. This will reduce the impacts of growth and maintain the environment that is important to the ACT and its residents.

An improved planning system will allow for growth in appropriate areas and outline what that growth might look like and provide direction and processes that facilitate that. This means it is clearer to our community and industry what can be built where and why, and how this maps back to the themes outlined in the ACT Planning Strategy.

The review and reform project will be conducted over three stages. The first stage will investigate the performance of the existing system, the second stage will set the strategic direction for the future system and the third change will be implementation.

The ACT Government agreed to the scope of the review in March 2019 being focused around five broad areas:

System structure: the hierarchy of the various components of the system as well as their individual roles and interrelationships

Strategic planning: the long-term strategic or policy objectives that describe the purpose and direction of the planning system

Development controls: the interpretation of that purpose and direction into regulations that define and shape development

Development assessment: the processes through which development applications are assessed and determined

System operation: the useability of the system from the perspective of applicants, agencies, and other interested parties

The Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988 states that there must be a Territory Plan and that plan must be consistent with the National Capital Plan (administered by the National Capital Authority), which sets out the broad planning principles and policies for Canberra and the Territory.

The Territory Plan was first introduced in 1993 (following the introduction of self-government) and many of the policies were carried over from the National Capital Development Commission. Since this time there has only been limited review and as a result, the Territory Plan we have no longer reflects contemporary best practice.