The Territory Government is progressing the reform of the Northern Territory planning system, with the launch of Stage 3 of consultation.

Stage 3 consultation is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the Planning Act. These changes respond to issues raised by both industry and the community during two previous stages of consultation. The changes to the Act are provided in detail in the Consultation Draft Bill for Amendments to the Planning Act 1999.

Planning Reform is a key component of the Government’s election commitment to restore integrity to Government.

To enhance understanding of the complex and interrelated reforms, Progressing Planning Reform - An Overview has been prepared as a guide to the proposed reforms with links to the consultation draft Bill and the Draft Examples of Possible Changes to the NT Planning Scheme.

The draft examples of what a revised Planning Scheme might look like encourages understanding of how the proposed changes to the Act will be implemented, to enable informed comment from stakeholders and industry.

Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Chief Executive, Andrew Kirkman, said the government remains committed to providing the best planning system for the Territory, and this third stage of consultation is an important step in the reform of that system.

“Planning reform is focusing on better development outcomes and improving transparency and clarity of the system to foster community and industry confidence, and better serve the Territory,” said Mr Kirkman.

“We’ve engaged extensively with the community and industry, and the proposed reforms were born from a wide range of feedback we received throughout our consultation. The government has worked very hard to apply this feedback within a workable framework that is able to deliver for Territorians, and we thank everyone for their contribution.

“We’re continuing to engage throughout this process, and Stage 3 of consultation is now underway.”

Stage 3 consultation follows the release of a Consultation Outcomes Report from Stage 2 consultation, which acknowledges and corroborates a wide range of feedback.

The release of a consultation paper in October 2017 was the first step in the process of Building Confidence through Better Planning for the Northern Territory. The consultation paper outlined how the Northern Territory planning system operates and sought suggestions about how the system could be improved.  The suggestions informed an overall strategy for the reform and a set of further reforms, which were subject to a second round of consultation in mid-2018.  

For details of past and current consultation on planning reform, visit https://dipl.nt.gov.au/lands-and-planning/building/planning-reform. 

To 'have your say' and download the Progressing Planning Reform - An Overview, the Draft Examples of Possible Changes to the NT Planning Scheme or the Consultation Draft Bill for Amendments to the Planning Act 1999, visit https://dipl.nt.gov.au/lands-and-planning/building/planning-reform/be-involved

ENDS

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