What's New
07 May 2011
The forthcoming National Urban Policy should be an opportunity to fix our cities once and for all, with a strong program of Commonwealth infrastructure investment and the microeconomic reform of Australias tired land use planning laws16 March 2011
When private developers are unable to develop new housing, it is ordinary homebuyers and renters who suffer most. Almost everyone shops and works in premises developed by the private sector and more are required.12 January 2011
The Urban Taskforce has never supported a national policy merely for the sake of having something that's national. Our support for any policy has always been conditional on: ¢ the policy not being harmful to urban development; and ¢ the policy adding something concrete and positive to the urban development process (in terms of significant federal funding for urban infrastructure or reduced red tape).12 November 2010
Where there are planning rules that limit the discretion of decision-makers to refuse development, and in particular limit the ability of decision-makers to make rules or refuse development by reference to public opinion, the need for political involvement is reduced.However, there will always be a need to allow for departures from pre-determined planning controls to embrace innovative development, overcome obsolete rules or respond to unanticipated community needs. Any system must cater to this, and at times, decisions to vary rules will need to be made by state politicians as representatives of the community.
01 September 2010
New residences, and newly refurbished residences, should not require vendor pre-purchase reports where an occupation certificate has or will be issued.01 September 2010
Identifying the problems and proposing solutions. A submission by the Urban Taskforce to the Productivity Commission in response to its issues paper: Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation: Planning, Zoning and Development Assessments.07 July 2010
The Central Sydney Planning Committee/City of Sydney is responsible to the most significant area of urban land in Australia. While it covers just 26 square kilometres the economic activity generated in the City of Sydney is approximately $80 billion, representing 8 per cent (nearly one-twelfth) of the total national Australian economy, over 30 per cent of the Sydney metropolitan area and almost one-quarter of the GDP of the entire state of NSW.11 June 2010
For this project to be a success there is an urgent need for a coordinated state led review of planning controls along the proposed light rail route and also around proposed light rail stations. Redevelopment of the existing low-density urban and industrial land is essential if light rail is to be a real alternative transport option to bus and/or conventional rail.01 June 2010
How to re-boot the Sydney Metropolitan Strategy. A submission to the NSW Department of Planning's Metropolitan Strategy Review and a response to the discussion paper Sydney Towards 2036.
21 May 2010
.... and extending the reach of heritage laws into lounge rooms everywhereThis is a submission to the NSW Department of Planning paper Potential Amendments to the Standard Instrument March 2010.
Regretfully, we are very critical of the great bulk of the proposals in this document. With only a few exceptions, it seems that these proposals have been prepared on the assumption that the NSW planning system is suffering from a lack of regulation and detailed prescription.
