Attached is the agenda for the ISCCC’s public forum, which will be held 7-9pm, Tuesday 11 April, at the East Lake Football Club, 3 Oxley Street, Griffith. Register at:
Planning Review
The Legislative Assembly is likely to debate in May the new Planning Bill which will pave the way for a massive change in the way decisions are made about planning matters in the ACT, from a rules-based to an “outcomes based” planning system.
The ISCCC made the attached submission about the Planning Bill in November 2022 to the Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Transport and City Services. A summary is also attached of the ISCCC’s Key Asks that will be presented at our public forum on 11 April.
The Standing Committee reported to the Assembly in December. The ISCCC considers the Committee’s report is excellent and responds to many of our concerns. We urge the ACT Government to accept the Committee’s recommendations:
Since the Standing Committee handed down its report, the ISCCC, member groups and the community have had a chance to go through the new draft Territory Plan and District Strategies to see how the proposed Outcomes Based Planning System will work in practice.
We have found a proposed planning system that will create uncertainty about what requirements will be mandated for new developments, given that “rules” will give way to more subjective assessments by planners about whether developments meet vaguely worded “outcomes”.
This is in the context of the lack of an evaluation by Government of the planning outcomes of the Mr Fluffy dual occupancy program. This raises questions about whether there would be a genuine commitment to monitoring and evaluation of a much bigger, ACT wide “outcomes based” planning system.
Now is a good time to speak with our elected representatives to hear their responses to the ISCCC’s Key Asks before they participate in the Assembly debate about the Planning Bill. That’s why we have invited three MLAs to our forum on 11 April:
- Rachel Stephen-Smith, Labor member for Kurrajong
- Rebecca Vassarotti, Greens member for Kurrajong
- Peter Cain, Liberal Shadow Minister for Planning
Please come along and hear what they have to say.
Find out more about the East Lake Place Plan
At our 11 April public forum, we will also have three speakers provide information and perspectives on the recently released East Lake Place Plan which is out for comment:
- Ben Riches, Senior Director, Implementation and Coordination, Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate
- Donna Fitzgerald-Verrent, resident of The Causeway
- Rob Evans, President, Fyshwick Business Association
The ISCCC looks forward to seeing you at our public forum.