Consultation and information
Two of the Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate's legislated responsibilities and functions are to ensure community consultation and participation in planning decisions and to promote public education and understanding of the planning process, including by providing easily accessible public information and documentation on planning and land use.
We engage with the ACT community in many ways, not only to meet statutory requirements but because we seek to ensure strategic planning and policy development recognises and responds to the views, concerns and aspirations of the broader community.
Note: This consultation process is different from the notification process for development applications. Notification is a statutory form of consultation that allows nearby property owners and others the opportunity to look at a proposed development, consider its likely impacts on them and provide comment prior to a decision being made. Developers are now required to consult with the community on certain projects before applying for development.
Common sources of information
Some of the sources of information on planning and development activities and any associated consultation processes are:
- advertisements in The Canberra Times and The Chronicle
- media releases from the Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development or ESDD which result in articles in local newspapers
- letterbox drops to residents
- public meetings, forums, workshops and summits organised by ESDD or arranged through stakeholder groups
- site displays in shopping centres, libraries and ESDD's Dickson Customer Service Centre
- this web site.
