A project becomes an approved project at the point at which the project area is designated by the Minister for Planning under section 95 the MTPF Act.
The project area defines the boundaries within which some project powers can be exercised.
The amendments simplify the designation step in two main ways:
- Plans will no longer be required to be signed by the Surveyor-General, to avoid the burden on the Surveyor-General and associated delays, because surveying detail is not required for the purposes of determining the extent of the project area. The change brings the Act more into line with project declarations under other Acts.
- For projects to which the MTPF Act (other than Parts 3 and 8 apply), a project area may be designated for any project for which the use and development of land is not prohibited under an existing planning scheme (replacing the current standard which requires that the Planning Minister has made any amendments to the planning scheme).
Updated