Land development process report and recommendations

A land development review was recently undertaken as part of Budget 2021 to identify improvements to bring titled land to the market to keep pace with Territorians needs.

The outcomes of the review are presented in Bringing Land to Market: An independent review of the Land Development Processes, Land Under Development and Titled Land.

The report identifies areas for improvement of existing processes for:

• the release of land
• the production of lots
• the authority approvals
• bonding and other initiatives to bring forward titles.

Read the report and recommendations PDF (28.3 MB).

About the review

The review was headed up by Team Territory co-chair Dick Guit and involved consultation with key stakeholders and industry across the Territory.

Stakeholders were invited to provide their contributions through face to face meetings and written submissions, with over 60 meetings and 11 submissions received.

Jurisdictional comparisons were undertaken with input from representatives of the City of Townsville and Cairns Regional Council.

An Industry Reference Group was also established to provide advice on the potential initiatives to improve process, with representation from key industry bodies including UDIA NT, Property Council NT, HIA NT, MBA and REINT.

Implementation of Recommendations

In May 2022, the Land Development Committee was established in response to Recommendation 23 to put in place a governance structure for the oversight of the implementation of recommendations.

The Land Development Committee is chaired by Mr Dick Guit and is comprised of the following authorities and industry representatives:

• Department of Lands, Planning and Environment
• Power and Water Corporation
• City of Palmerston
• Local Government Association of the NT
• Land Development Industry - Urban Development Institute of Australia
• Building Industry - Master Builders Association NT

The Land Development Committee have endorsed implementation of the following recommendations as complete within the Bringing Land to Market Report:

• Recommendation 1: Standardised Terminology in now within the Northern Territory Subdivision Guidelines.
• Recommendation 6: Future Residential Land Supply has been identified and infrastructure design and construction is underway for the next development in Holtze.
• Recommendation 7: The land for Affordable and Social Housing policy is in place for all future Crown land greenfield developments.
• Recommendation 10: An enhanced Development Assessment Forum is now available for developers to book in advance of submitting their development application to the Development Consent Authority.
• Recommendation 11: A delegated approval for Rezoning is in place where it is compliant with Strategic Land Use Plans ensures a more streamlined process.
• Recommendation 15: An enhanced process for energisation through Power and Water Corporation for the energisation of new subdivisions.
• Recommendation 17: Bonding of incomplete works guide is now within Northern Territory Subdivision Guidelines.
• Recommendation 18: Early lodgement of Survey Plans is available through digital lodgement.
• Recommendation 19: An enhanced Place Names process that includes a bank of approved place names for future developments under an Area Plan.
• Recommendation 21: Alice Springs, South of the Gap Subregional Land-Use Plan has been prioritised by the Northern Territory Planning Commission for commencement in 2024.
• Recommendation 22: Stamp Duty Exemption for House and Land Packages now available through the Department of Treasury and Finance.
• Recommendation 23: A governance structure has been created through the Land Development Committee to oversee progress of the recommendations.

Contact

Telephone: 08 8999 6456
Email: LDProcessReview.DIPL@nt.gov.au