2021-11-25
The ACT Planning Review is a once in a decade opportunity to reform our planning system to be more sustainable, affordable, and transparent.
“Our remaining untouched land is home to threatened animals such as the golden sun moth and legless lizard. We need to think carefully about how we continue to develop our city to protect its natural beauty”, said Jo Clay MLA, ACT Greens spokesperson for planning.
“The Canberra community feel that for too long developers have led planning decisions with poor outcomes for Canberrans. This is a once in a decade opportunity to work with the community to design a planning system that responds to our desires and needs as a growing community. It’s an opportunity to ensure Canberra remains the beautiful place so many of us love to live in. We encourage the community to engage with this review in the coming year.
“We want a planning system that is easy to navigate for everyone. We want transparent planning processes and the right for the public to appeal planning decisions.
“The ACT Greens are committed to creating a city that is sustainable, that provides homes for everyone who needs them and is built with the changing climate.”
The ACT Greens are seeking 8 key outcomes in our new planning system.
“We want a planning system that will:
- Factor in climate change and emissions reduction targets - consider the heat island effect and embedded emissions in the built environment and invest in public and active transport options.
- Deliver development that works for people - development should be well designed, high quality and environmentally sustainable. Development should be driven by the needs and strategic priorities of Canberrans, and not led by the priorities of developers.
- Create the settings to support more affordable housing for Canberrans. We particularly need affordable housing close to public and active transport connections, parks, schools, shops and businesses.
- Respectfully and genuinely listen to communities and provide communities with useful information about planning decisions.
- Protect our trees and greenspace for current and future generations, for public use and for the protection of biodiversity and habitat. Development should not harm threatened species and decisions should be based on Environmental Impact Statements that are independently developed.
- Recognising the role of Traditional Custodians in preserving culture and stewarding the environment, respectful engagement with Aboriginal traditional custodians on all planning matters and processes that are relevant to and affect them, and doing so according to the principles of free, prior and informed consent.
- Provide integrity. Decision-making bodies and all entities that have a role in the planning system need to be adequately resourced. Planning decisions need to be held to account, monitored thoroughly, and enforced transparently. The system should also give the community the right to appeal decisions - something that call-in powers erase.
- Ensure that reviews of planning decisions are assessed speedily by adequately resourced review bodies.”