The New South Wales Government has made headlines with the recent announcement to reform residential developments across the state.
Making the announcement on 27 November 2007, NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor released a long-awaited discussion paper, Improving the NSW Planning System outlining the major reforms.
According to the NSW department of Planning, the discussion paper outlines more than 90 recommendations to improve the planning system, including:
- Plans to increase the number of developments approved under compliance certificates;
- New targets to reduce the processing times of development applications and local plans;
- Allowing more small scale development, such as home renovations, to be approved within ten days if set standards are met;
- Tailoring development application assessment and local plan–making systems to the size and complexity of proposals;
- Increasing online planning information and support;
- Improved oversight of the building certification system; and
- Reducing the Minister's determination role for development proposals and increasing the use of assessment panels; and
- Miscellaneous recommendations in areas such as strata management, paper subdivisions and dispute resolution.
Cutting red tape and circumventing council bureaucracy
The major reforms lie in proposals to cut red tape in lengthy council development approval processes by expanding the number of developments subject to certifier approval.
The paper also proposes to standardise building codes across council boundaries and to introduce “planning arbitrators” to help manage and administer development applications more effectively.
Stakeholders and members of the public are invited to comment on the NSW paper until February 8 2008.
For more information visit http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/planning_reforms/index.asp.
Queensland and Victoria beat NSW in reform proposals
The announcement by NSW follows both Victoria’s and Queensland’s announcements to modernise their planning and development systems.
In September 2007, the Queensland Government released a report, Planning for a Prosperous Queensland – A reform agenda for planning and development in the Smart State. The report made 80 recommendations as part of critical reform to planning legislation that is set to become operational in late 2008.
According to the Queensland Government, the aim of the reform is to “move the focus from the planning process to the delivery of sustainable outcomes.” These outcomes will be delivered by:
- new planning legislation introducing improved tools for State and local government to manage planning and development proactively
- reduced complexity through greater standardisation
- adopting a risk–based approach to development assessment
- streamlined dispute resolution processes
- encouraging active community participation in the planning and development assessment system.
For more information visit http://www.lgp.qld.gov.au/?id=5787
Victoria was the next to release its reform proposals, with the release of the Making local policy stronger report, and the Government’s five–point priority action plan in October 2007.
"This report sets out some of the most important planning reforms in recent years, particularly its recommendation to review residential zones so that they can more clearly reflect state and local policy outcomes," Victoria Planning Minister Justin Madden said. "Victoria already has a very good planning system, but these new reforms will make a big difference to councils, giving them the tools they need to manage development and change in their municipalities."
According to Mr Madden, the Making local policy stronger report's five key recommendations are:
- Providing more certainty for councils by making it easier to implement policy through planning controls;
- Making the State Planning Policy Framework clearer about how it should be implemented at the local level;
- Progressively reviewing planning schemes to clearly express state and local strategic intentions;
- Increasing the effectiveness of local policy by simplifying the way it is presented in planning schemes; and
- Clarifying when prescriptive provisions can be used;
For more information on Victoria's reforms visit http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/planning.