In the design and maintenance of a place many different plans are used. Within the Australian context these stem from the national urban policy, population strategy, regional strategies and locals plans which goals are to create a sustainable Australia. Simply there is a three tier system of planning from national, state and to local in which are set to complement and build on from one another. Currently these systems of planning, in particular state is under review by COAG, in a bid to produce consistency across the board in planning boardies in Australia.
Source: http://www.budget.gov.au/2011-12/content/ministerial_statements/urban/html/ms_urban-04.htm, 20/2/2012
Living in Canberra there is a lot of input in planning systems by national government due to the national significance of the area as an icon of the nation. Areas such as the parliamentary triangle from ANU, to parliament and to Duntroon are controlled by this body. In order to get approval for development one must go through the National Capital Authority. In terms of local bodies in charge of plans here, the ACT is governed by many plans. The territory plan ( Currently under review) which is the statuary planning document in line with the national capital plan and requires lots of zoning, the Canberra special plan which is the key strategic document and is a mixture of aspirations of the community, national capital plan which sets out planning principles and polices to do with places of national significance, master plans which are neighbourhood hubs and are done by the former body of ACTPLA, now the environment and sustainable development directorate and are of places such as the Weston and Erindale group centre in which are then broken down into neighbourhood plans of one suburb, for example the Braddon neighbourhood plan.
From reading my blog on the planning systems in Australia, it is a wonder that things can get done. It is very complicated, especially in the ACT to comply with all these planning regulations. My question is how can planning be made easier within the national context and the local Canberra scene? Is it possible to make it a clearer and more consistent across the board nationally?
Good point! Planning can never be easy...Local plans handle with local issues so it is natural that they differ across the country(different community has different issues). But the overall goal is the same - sustainability. Planning can be easier if it has strategic scheme- visioning, setting goal and priority, evaluation and monitoring,and feedback. This will be covered in 'Strategic Planning' unit in semester 2.
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