Darwin Regional Land Use Plan
Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment annual reports; Dept. of Lands, Planning and the Environment reports; PublicationNT; Reports; reports
2015
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).
English
Northern Territory. Dept. of Lands and Planning -- Periodicals; Land use -- Northern Territory -- Planning -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals; Public works -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals
Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment
Darwin (N.T.)
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https://hdl.handle.net/10070/257455
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/511960
DARWIN REGIONAL LAND USE PLAN 2015 72 Rural Lifestyle Rural lifestyle development in the Darwin Region is characterised by large lots in a rural setting where reticulated services are generally limited to a power supply. The low to very low densities are attractive to a considerable number in the community but do occupy significant areas to house a relatively small number of people. This relatively inefficient use of land results in pressure for further expansion of developed areas to accommodate growth. Other economic, social and environmental impacts of the low density of development include: higher proportional cost of infrastructure, including roads higher transport costs potential pollution over time through a concentration of on-site effluent disposal systems weed proliferation due to the high cost of required maintenance potential cross-subsidisation of services by urban residents. Rural lifestyle is recognised as a valid land use in terms of satisfying the aspirations of many in the community and minimising the potential impacts of higher density development on valuable groundwater resources. With the increasing focus on affordability and sustainable use of resources, the land use plan includes a focus on opportunities to accommodate some who seek a lifestyle outside urban areas on smaller lots in and around rural activity centres. This approach: offers practical solutions to the predicted population growth outside urban areas and the environmental challenges of such growth minimises uncoordinated responses to continued growth improves housing choice and affordability generates the thresholds required to support local business and associated employment opportunities and services. Sequencing Appropriate sequencing of future development will have a significant influence on cost efficiency, accessibility to facilities and services and opportunities for economic activity factors that all contribute to the quality of a community. The land use structure in this land use plan will guide orderly and efficient land use and infrastructure delivery. In the normal course of events, the development of land for residential purposes follows investment in key trunk infrastructure. This model provides certainty of infrastructure capability and cost efficient development. This model allows for a tailored provision of community facilities based on the needs of an identified community as opposed to a supply of generic facilities where a community has not been established. Current development fronts taking advantage of the efficiencies of this model include Palmerston East and Muirhead. Urban development well beyond the current development fronts is typically more expensive than developing in sequence. Additional costs arise from the need to construct connections to established essential services over substantial distances, including power, water and sewer. The scale of development may too require other infrastructure to be upgraded to meet the additional demands, such as additional lanes on arterial roads or lights at intersections. There is desirability for concurrent development in multiple locations to meet market objectives such as diversity of product choice, continuity of supply and competition in the market. The land use plan identifies a number of new greenfield and infill locations to accommodate growth that must be considered holistically in the context of the regional structure. Determination of the sequence of development will be driven by demand for various land uses based on many criterion. The Reticulated Services Map identifies the extent of current reticulated services to give indication of where initial investigations for future development should be focused. Normal land use and infrastructure planning is the appropriate mechanism for site-specific evaluation to minimise adverse physical or environmental constraints. Whitewood Road, Howard Springs