Roger Jaensch,Minister for Local Government and Planning
Amendments made to the Northern Tasmania Regional Land Use Strategy (NTRLUS) have now come into effect, allowing northern councils greater opportunity to consider appropriate new residential development to provide for their growing communities.
The NTRLUS is the statutory regional plan for northern Tasmania and sets out the strategy and policy basis to facilitate and manage change, growth, and development over the next decade.
These amendments will reduce duplication and provide for land previously identified as a Future Investigation Area to be considered for rezoning through the normal planning scheme amendment process.
It will also clarify that areas currently mapped as Urban Growth Areas are indicative and will allow greater flexibility for suitable land to be considered for rezoning, as well as clarify provisions around Rural Residential Areas.
These amendments, approved by the Minister for Local Government and Planning, were requested by the northern region councils and have been developed cooperatively in consultation with those councils, State Government Agencies and the Tasmanian Planning Commission.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government has committed nearly $4 million over the next two years to support comprehensive reviews of Tasmania's three regional land use strategies to ensure they reflect our current strategic land use needs and aspirations, and provide for appropriate and sustainable future growth, in particular, additional land for housing.
Through these amendments, work is already underway to provide additional flexibility in the Southern Regional Land Use Strategy and development of a Metro Plan for Greater Hobart and we are working with councils on their plans for future growth.
The amended Northern Tasmania Regional Land Use Strategy can be viewed on the Department of Justice's Tasmanian planning reform website: www.planningreform.tas.gov.au.
