Page 1186 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 4 May 2022

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Review and Reform Project, but I would like to know more about the technical planning work that is underway. Can you please update the Assembly on what reports and technical studies the ACT government is using to inform this project?

MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Orr for her question and her interest in the technical aspects of town planning. The ACT government has commissioned several studies that will help to inform the development of the district strategies and the new Territory Plan. These studies include estate development; best practice greenfield infill developments; achieving improved built form, place design and public realm outcomes; commercial and industrial zones and mixed-use development; and EV-ready developments.

The recommendations from these reports will help to inform future policy decisions. The government recognises that we need to plan for Canberra’s future. We are looking at how we prepare our buildings and our public spaces for new technology and of course a changing climate. I have said before that the aim of the new planning system is transparency, and we are applying that principle when it comes to this technical work.

The information that I have mentioned here is all open to the public. Reports are available on the EPSDD website. Anyone with an interest in the technical planning work, such as Ms Orr, can have a look at what the government is considering. We will look at all the information available, along with the technical and community input, in developing a new Territory Plan and the district strategies for the ACT.

MS ORR: Minister, given my interest in mixed-use development, particularly as it relates to my electorate of Yerrabi, can you please explain more about the report on commercial and industrial zones and mixed-use development?

MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Orr for the supplementary question. I know that the Gungahlin Community Council have a particular interest in this report. The planning system is a critical part of attracting jobs and investment to the ACT, and ensuring that we have sufficient commercial and industrial land available in the right locations is a consideration for the current Planning System Review and Reform Project.

We are balancing our need for commercial and industrial land with our need to provide homes for our growing population. This is again a challenge for many different jurisdictions, including here in the ACT. The report has looked at different jurisdictions and ideas for managing land uses and makes recommendations to government on what we might do for the future. The report provides advice on best practice planning considerations to limit potential conflict between users, particularly in mixed-use development.

There are recommendations regarding compatibility of uses in mixed-use development and how this can be implemented through the planning system; a cost-benefit analysis of commercial and industrial zones; and recommended processes and frameworks to guide the planned delivery of commercial and industrial zones. These recommendations look at both strategic and statutory provisions to guide our overall thinking about commercial uses, as well as the ideas for site-specific zoning


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