ACT Planning decisions on mixed-use, multi-residential developments extended months beyond deadlines

Of 15 development applications for multi-residential projects decided in September, the average days waited for a decision was 100.13, while the median was 62.

By comparison, in September 2021, 14 application were assessed for an average of 62.64 days and a median of 36.

Two applications for mixed-use builds decided in August took an average of 167 days, while that wait was just 27 days for an application in September 2021.

The ACT Planning Act legislates that most development applications are decided on within 45 days, but ACT Chief Planner Ben Ponton said the act "provides for extended timeframes when further information has been requested by the planning and land authority".

Sources in the planning and development industry have told The Canberra Times that staffing shortages are dragging out the directorate's processing times, and that some senior staff are being redirected to work on the draft planning bill.

Mr Ponton did not respond to a question about whether staffing shortages were impacting the directorate, but said wait times were mostly determined by "the quality of the development application, the complexity of the proposal and the comments received during public notification".

"For example, a large number of development applications, particularly for multi-unit and mixed-use proposals, often require further information to be provided by the applicant in order for the application to be properly assessed and a decision to be made.

"This may be in relation to quality of information, site complexities, entity requirements, or comments made in public submissions.

"The timeframe taken to decide a development application includes the time that the planning and land authority is awaiting further information to be provided by the applicant, when such information has been requested by the planning and land authority."

One application for a mixed-use development decided in October 2021 was assessed for 372 days.

The peak for multi-residential development applications in the 12-month period between September 2021 and September 2022 was an average of 111.94 days for 17 applications in April 2022.

A senior town planner said delays had been commonplace for the two and a half years he had worked in Canberra.

The situation was so severe, developers would be better off taking their work outside of the ACT, he said.

Another town planner noted that the ACT was not the only jurisdiction where developers were pushing for more efficiency, but he anticipated six-month waits when lodging most of his mixed-use or multi-residential projects.

An ACT government spokesperson said there had been a 12 per cent increase in the number of development applications lodged in the last six months, continuing a trend from the 2021-22 financial year, in which there was a 15 per cent uptick in applications.

Property and development figures have called for more resources to be fed into planning.

"More resources dedicated to the planning system would ultimately help to aid the ACT's housing crisis, ensuring the system delivers for industry and the community," The Property Council's acting ACT executive director Adele Lausberg said in a statement.

"We are constantly engaged with officials in the planning department to try and help speed up processing times.

"Planning red tape costs the ACT economy millions of dollars each year," she said, adding The Property Council is hopeful the ACT's proposed planning reforms will "create greater certainty to all".

Former executive director of the ACT Property Council, Catherine Carter, echoed the call for more resourcing to be directed to the Planning Authority and other agencies.

"This matters because development in its various forms - whether a precinct development, or a single home - has implications for both the economy and the social fabric of the city," Ms Carter said in a statement.

"They need the best people making the right decisions for people, the wider community and the economy."

She also noted "the current planning reform process has swallowed up many of the senior staff within the Planning Authority, who have been redirected to get through this major piece of work".

Mr Ponton said decisions on development applications are still being made while the Legislative Assembly considers the new planning bill.

"Through the ACT Planning System Review and Reform Project, we are increasing the efficiency of our planning system to deliver better planning and design outcomes for development and for the Canberra community," he said.

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