Page 2355 - Week 07 - Thursday, 17 August 2006
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Land Authority to consider at least once every five years whether a review of the territory plan is necessary. In examining this, the authority will have to consider the plan’s currency against community expectations, the planning strategy, objects of the legislation and the plan itself. If a review is considered necessary, the ACT Planning and Land Authority will prepare a strategic environmental assessment in relation to the review and make public the findings of the review. The proposed reforms also implement an increased range of exempt development that will not require development approval, and an increased range of exempt developments that do not require development approval, building approval or a licensed builder to construct the structures. As an example of this, new houses that qualify under certain thresholds in new estates will be exempt from development approval. Building certifiers will instead check development compliance against the house code prior to issuing a building approval for the house. The proposal to extend this exemption to new houses on previously unleased and undeveloped land in established residential areas is still being investigated.
The new range of exempt developments includes non-habitable structures that can be built by a homeowner—for example, buildings and structures behind the building line and not closer than three metres to a boundary and/or with a maximum height of three metres, or a roof structure no greater than 36 square metres, or decks not greater than one metre in height. The proposal to exempt an increased range of buildings and structures from building approval will be implemented by way of consequential amendments to the Building Act 2004 and various regulations.
There has already been considerable public involvement in the reform process. Stakeholder groups and the community are currently providing further support and comment as we enter the implementation phase with the release of the exposure draft Planning and Development Bill and the exhibition of the draft structure of the territory plan. As part of this process the planning and environment committee has commenced its own inquiry and will be reporting to the Assembly in due course. The next steps in this important process are for the government to consider the input from the current community consultation processes being undertaken by the ACT Planning and Land Authority’s planning system reform project team, and the report of the planning and environment committee. The government will review the exposure draft bill in the light of the comments and advice that it has received, and anticipates that it will be in a position to table its legislation in the Assembly by the end of this calendar year. As I have already noted, further work on the territory plan will continue to meet the target implementation date for the new planning system of 1 July 2007.
The planning system reform project is a significant government reform agenda and, accordingly, involves a broad cross-section of stakeholders and the community. Implementing the planning reforms is a critical phase of the project for the government and it is important that our stakeholders and the community continue their involvement, thereby ensuring strong planning outcomes for the ACT. I encourage members to consider the reform proposals and provide their inputs as early as possible so that we can have a considered piece of legislation to debate later in this Assembly. I move:
That the Assembly take note of the paper.
Debate (on motion by Mrs Dunne) adjourned to the next sitting.
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