Consultation

About

The community has a right to be informed about and give their views about planning matters and decisions that affect them.

The many organisations involved in land use planning decisions seek information from stakeholders about the development of their policies, plans, strategies or projects.

Consultation processes can be used in different ways, for example to:

• scope issues
• explore ideas
• generate or test alternatives
• understand views and opinions
• help make decisions.

If you are looking for simpler information about planning than what’s on this page, the Getting Started section tells you how to find the scheme in your area, and some basic information about how they work.

Consultation under planning legislation

The Land Use and Planning Approvals Act 1993 (LUPAA) says when and how consultation must occur for important land use planning processes and assessments.

Consultation processes are included in the Act for the:

• Tasmanian Planning Policies (TPPs)
• Regional Land Use Strategies (RLUSs)
• Tasmanian Planning Scheme (TPS)
• major projects
• development applications.

For example, section 57 of LUPAA gives the process for Discretionary development applications, while sections 30G to 30N give direction on how amendments to the State Planning Provisions (SPPs) must be publicly exhibited.

The time frames for consultations vary between types of plans or applications.

Different terms

LUPAA uses the terms ‘exhibition’, ‘representation’ and ‘representor’.

‘Exhibition’ means when a plan is open for stakeholder comment.

‘Representation’ means the written document a stakeholder sends in before an exhibition closes. It sets out their views about the plan. Another common word for this is ‘submission’.

‘Representor’ is the person or organisation who is providing their views about the project or plan. ‘Submitter’ is an alternative term.

Privacy

Usually, all submissions to state government assessments and processes are made public.

It is standard practice to hide contact details such as email addresses of individuals.

If you want your identity to be protected, you must request that your name and any other identifying details are removed.

Limits to consultation

Not every planning or development is open for consultation.

For example, the TPS lists exempt developments. There is also no requirement for consultation on an application for a Permitted use or development.

Any use or development that relies on Performance Criteria for assessment becomes a Discretionary application and must be advertised for public comment. You can find out more about zones and criteria on the Tasmanian Planning Scheme page.

How to get involved?

There are many ways to get involved.

Organisations doing a consultation will usually have a range of ways that you can get involved. The most common is the request for written submissions. However, there may be other techniques that an organisation might use. For example, there could be:

• online surveys
• workshops
• public meetings
• social media posts
• site visits
• displays in shopping centres or community facilities.

Each organisation will choose a mix of engagement techniques that suits the project, the community and the budget.

How do I find out about current consultations?

For consultations being run by the State Planning Office (SPO), please head to the Have Your Say page.

The Tasmanian Planning Commission holds regular hearings on planning matters around the state, for example consultations on SPP amendments. You can keep up to date with their work by visiting their website.

You should also check your local council’s website. Any local strategic or statutory planning issue that is open for consultation will be advertised there. The council may also use local newspapers and social media.

You may also see a sign in front of a property, receive a letter or email, or see a notice in the newspaper or on a website.

Making a submission or representation

Before making a submission, read all the material and plans. If you are unsure about any of the content, get in touch with the contact officer.

Submissions should be in writing. If you are not a confident writer, you can use a voice-to-text function on a computer or phone. You could also ask a trusted friend or colleague to help you.

Ideally your representation should include:

• your name, and contact details
• the subject of the consultation, e.g. reference no, an address or location, or name of project
• whether you support or oppose the development
• your reasons for your position
• any evidence you have to support your position
• your signature and date.

Want to know more about this?

International Association for Public Participation - Your Peak Body for Engagement | IAP2 Australasia