Ms MARTIN - 1998-04-23
He has ushered in a brave new order of development in central Darwin. It is called 'performance-based planning', which means all future developments will be judged purely and simply on their merits. The problem is that he has not developed one single guideline for the Planning Authority to judge that merit. Why not?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, in recent times, we introduced for the CBD a performance-based planning regime wherein there is only one zoning - a CBD zoning. At a recent public meeting, the member for Fannie Bay produced some documents from Manly Council in Sydney. She claimed that they were performance-based planning documents. Performance-based planning is based on getting the best results, not upon guidelines. That is what we are trying to get away from. We are trying to get away from a strict adherence to a set of regulations and rules. It is performance-based. It is on an assessment basis. The Planning Authority is charged with assessing each application on its planning merit. Any architect, any planning professional, will know what planning merit is.
Previously in the CBD of Darwin, because of the planning regulations, boundary-to-boundary developments were occurring. Developers were taking up the maximum amount of space on blocks for building. This new performance-based planning allows some latitude. It allows the developers to sit down with the town planners and the Planning Authority to discuss the merit of a proposal and come to an agreed position. We are trying to move away from strict adherence to set criteria. That is what performance-based planning is about.
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ANSWER
Madam Speaker, in recent times, we introduced for the CBD a performance-based planning regime wherein there is only one zoning - a CBD zoning. At a recent public meeting, the member for Fannie Bay produced some documents from Manly Council in Sydney. She claimed that they were performance-based planning documents. Performance-based planning is based on getting the best results, not upon guidelines. That is what we are trying to get away from. We are trying to get away from a strict adherence to a set of regulations and rules. It is performance-based. It is on an assessment basis. The Planning Authority is charged with assessing each application on its planning merit. Any architect, any planning professional, will know what planning merit is.
Previously in the CBD of Darwin, because of the planning regulations, boundary-to-boundary developments were occurring. Developers were taking up the maximum amount of space on blocks for building. This new performance-based planning allows some latitude. It allows the developers to sit down with the town planners and the Planning Authority to discuss the merit of a proposal and come to an agreed position. We are trying to move away from strict adherence to set criteria. That is what performance-based planning is about.
Page 203
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016