27 February 2011

The Urban Taskforce promotes public policy that supports affordable housing, positive environmental outcomes, good urban design, effective and innovative infrastructure, and healthy, vibrant communities.

The Urban Taskforce is an active participant in the ongoing review and reform of the regulatory framework, working hard to promote the interests of the urban development industry in the planning, environmental and building assessment processes.

Planning reform

¢ Ensure governments are aware that the property development industry requires certainty, clarity and consistency in the planning approval system.

¢ Advocate for improvements to the planning system for all of the community and in particular to improve the efficiency and timeliness of planning approvals.

¢ Monitor and comment on ongoing government reviews of the planning system to ensure reforms deliver quality outcomes and are effective for stakeholders.

¢ Strongly support a more timely and less prescriptive development approval process

¢ Work to ensure that local, state and federal planning authorities are adequately resourced.

Infrastructure provision

¢ Foster a community-wide recognition that infrastructure is the driver of development and investment, and that we need an effective and sustained delivery mechanism for long-term land supply and infrastructure. Continual investment in transport infrastructure is vital.

¢ Urge government to increase spending on major public infrastructure; to make policy and legislative changes essential for more effective infrastructure development; and to undertake appropriate financial feasibility and risk assessment in infrastructure development.
¢ Encourage government to ensure a coordination of infrastructure investment so that there is certainty for development investment.

¢ Support administrative, procedural and regulatory reform to enable the effective coordination and innovative financing of land supply and infrastructure.

Affordable housing and housing choice

¢ Encourage the provision of affordable housing through availability of land, appropriate financial incentives, good design and efficient planning.

¢ Urge federal, state and local governments to remove policy and procedures that unnecessarily increase the cost of housing and inhibit housing choice.

Regional development

¢ Support detailed regional structure planning.

Urban land release

¢ Foster a recognition that urban land release is necessary to support population growth and economic prosperity.

¢ Support the formulation of long-term comprehensive plans to supply land for growth.

¢ Encourage government to provide appropriate governance and financial mechanisms to ensure an adequate supply of new urban land and public and private infrastructure.

Urban infill

¢ Recognise that infill development and the redevelopment of brownfield sites can help revitalise existing communities and provide a sustainable approach to growth.

¢ Ensure governments embed a commercial reality when identifying or promoting potential urban infill/redevelopment areas.

Environmental sustainability

¢ Support a balance between preserving our environment and ensuring adequate provision of housing and employment for future generations. Encourage the introduction of energy and water saving measures in a manner that enables sustainable development.

¢ Promote 'smart growth', an integration of urban planning, social and community planning, transportation and services infrastructure to plan for sustainable communities.

¢ Recognise that sustainable planning is beyond environmentally sustainable development and embraces all dimensions of sustainability, including community, environment and the economy.

Employment and economic development

¢ Support policies that promote management of urban employment lands, ensuring many existing land stocks are protected, more land for jobs is generated and necessary supportive infrastructure is provided.

Local government

¢ Support reforms to make local councils robust self-sustaining organisations with the capacity to fulfil their planning role, including the amalgamation of small metropolitan councils to allow better use of resources and greater efficiencies.

Urban design

¢ Foster and recognise development that achieves the best outcomes for all stakeholders in terms of environment, business, community and economic considerations, through the Urban Taskforce Australia Development Excellence Awards.

¢ Work closely with government to ensure that design regulations and guidance are clear, consistent and unambiguous.

Heritage

¢ Support the sustainable preservation of our heritage which is vital to improving our understanding of the past and of ourselves, and contributing strongly to our culture.

¢ Encourage adaptive re-use of heritage assets as the mechanism for finding new uses for old buildings in a sustainable and flexible manner.

Healthy environments

¢ Recognise that that the future of our cities lies in providing urban and built forms which support the health of our communities.

¢ Encourage the debate on healthy environments and inclusion of the topic in all major urban policy initiatives.

Building regulation and management

¢ Support the ongoing reform of building regulation and management policies and the development of cost-effective codes and standards to protect public health and safety while minimising cost impacts on industry and the community.

¢ Encourage accreditation of all regulatory certifiers in the industry and the development of professional standards.

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