The Planning Act enables a statutorily link between Area Plans and Development Contribution Plans to calculate and distribute service (and social) infrastructure costs on a land area basis amongst proponent developers. By way of example, clause 11.3 of the Planning Scheme states subdivision of industrial land may attract a monetary contribution to assist in the development of infrastructure. Monetary contributions toward infrastructure are applied unilaterally in most states of Australia and work on the premise that those who gain from land development should contribute to the establishment of serviceable land that supports that land use. Accordingly, development contributions toward service infrastructure could be applied to all forms of subdivisional development, regardless of land use (and may also include social infrastructure like playing fields, community halls, libraries, landscaped open space areas and recreation equipment).

Part 6 of the Northern Territory Planning Act enacts development Contribution Plans. Therefore the successful implementation of development contributions in accordance with the Planning Act warrants recognition in the Area Plan.

OBJECTIVES of THE SCOPE

The objective of the scope is to guide staged land use in the Humpty Doo Activity Centre by:

  • Defining precincts of intensive urban uses that concentrate mixed uses in the core of the Activity Centre and utilise service infrastructure provision
  • Maintaining the established amenity of rural living areas by transitioning urban uses to rural living areas
  • Increasing housing choice in the Humpty Doo Activity Centre
  • Encouraging the variety and type of Transactions in the Activity Centre through the intensification and diversification of uses
  • Improving the financial viability of the provision of service infrastructure to support urban development and overall provision of services and facilities in the rural area
  • Protecting the sustainable use of the groundwater resource
  • Implement Development Contribution Scheme based on land area to share the equitable distribution of service infrastructure costs amongst proponents.