Territory Plan (ACT)

The Territory Plan (ACT) is the Australian Capital Territory’s single statutory planning instrument, established under the Planning Act 2023 (ACT) and effective from 27 September 2024. It replaced the previous Territory Plan under the 2007 Act. The ACT is unique in Australia in having no Local Government Areas (no councils); planning, building regulation, and development assessment are all functions of the Territory government. The Territory Plan is supplemented by nine District Strategies (non-statutory geographic plans) and four Design Guides (Housing, Urban, City Centre Urban, Biodiversity Sensitive). Verified per Planning Act 2023 (ACT) (2026-05-23).

The ACT planning framework:

Planning Act 2023 (ACT)
  └─ Territory Plan (statutory, this), zones + use tables
      ├─ District Strategies (non-statutory), geographic strategy for each district
      └─ Design Guides (statutory guidance), Housing, Urban, City Centre Urban, Biodiversity

Why ACT is unique:

Aspect	ACT	Most other states
Local government	None	Councils exist
Planning instrument	Single Territory Plan	Multiple LEPs / schemes
Assessment authority	Territory government (Environment, Planning & Sustainable Development Directorate)	Local council (mostly)
DA appeal	ACAT (ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal)	Land and Environment Court (NSW), VCAT (Vic), etc.
Building permit	Territory Government (separate from DA)	Council building department (mostly)

The reasoning: the ACT is geographically small and demographically focused on Canberra; consolidating planning and building functions to the Territory government is administratively efficient.

Territory Plan structure:

Component	Content
Volume 1: Strategic and assessment framework	Overarching policy, the four Design Guides
Volume 2: Zone provisions	30+ zones with use tables and development standards
Volume 3: Code provisions	Topic-based codes (e.g. residential, commercial, industrial)
Volume 4: District Strategies	Non-statutory but influential geographic plans

Common residential zones:

Zone	Description
RZ1 Suburban	Standard suburban detached
RZ2 Suburban Core	Higher density within suburban areas
RZ3 Urban Residential	Inner-city residential
RZ4 Medium Density Residential	Townhouses, multi-units
RZ5 High Density Residential	Apartments
RZ6 Rural Residential	Acreage residential

District Strategies (non-statutory):

The nine District Strategies are:

District
Belconnen
Gungahlin
Inner North
Inner South
Molonglo Valley
Tuggeranong
Weston Creek
Woden
Combined (industrial/commercial areas)

Each District Strategy sets the strategic direction for the district. The Strategy informs but does not override the statutory Territory Plan zone provisions; in DA assessment, the Plan’s zone provisions are binding while District Strategy aspirations are persuasive.

Design Guides (statutory guidance):

Guide	Application
Housing Design Guide	Residential dwellings: character, scale, setbacks, solar access, landscaping
Urban Design Guide	Suburban centres, town centres, public realm, building interface
City Centre Urban Design Guide	Civic and city core, high-density urban design
Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design Guide	Sites near significant vegetation, habitat protection

The Housing Design Guide is the most cited by residential builders. It sets controls beyond the zone-based standards on character, fenestration, materials, and outdoor space.

Assessment pathways:

Pathway	When
Exempt	Listed exemptions in Territory Plan; no DA required
Code Track Assessment	Compliant with the relevant code; council officer decision
Merit Track Assessment	Non-compliant or sensitive; requires merit assessment with public notification
Impact Track Assessment	Major projects; EIS-equivalent assessment
Prohibited	Listed as not permitted

Reading the Territory Plan for a project:

Identify the zone of the property (via ACT Government planning portal).
Read the zone provisions in Volume 2 for permitted use and standards.
Read the relevant code provisions in Volume 3.
Apply the Housing Design Guide (for residential).
Consult the District Strategy for strategic context (advisory).
Identify the assessment pathway (Exempt, Code Track, Merit Track, Impact Track).
Lodge via the ACT Government planning portal.

Cross-state equivalents:

State	Equivalent statewide framework
ACT	Territory Plan (this) under Planning Act 2023
NT	NT Planning Scheme 2020 under Planning Act 1999
TAS	Tasmanian Planning Scheme (TPS) under LUPAA 1993
SA	Planning and Design Code under PDI Act 2016
NSW, VIC, QLD, WA	Council-specific schemes

ACT, NT, TAS, and SA all use centralised territory-wide frameworks; the others retain local schemes.

Common defects in ACT planning:

Reading the 2007 Territory Plan by mistake: it was superseded on 27 September 2024.
Missing District Strategy context: not binding but used in merit-track assessment.
Skipping the Housing Design Guide: residential applications must address it.
Confusing DA with building approval: DA is planning approval; building approval is a separate process.
Not lodging via the ACT portal: paper/email lodgement no longer accepted.

Builder takeaway:

For ACT residential, the Territory Plan is the single statutory source.
Apply the Housing Design Guide; it’s where character and amenity issues are decided.
Engage an ACT-experienced consultant for Merit Track or larger projects.
ACAT (not LEC or VCAT) is the appeal body.
Building approval is a separate process from the DA; allow for both timelines.

Also known as: ACT Territory Plan; Territory Plan 2024; Canberra planning scheme; ACT planning instrument.

Category: Approvals & DA.

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