THE New South Wales Department of Planning and Infrastructure has placed guidelines and associated documentation on exhibition in relation to the proposed Urban Activation Precincts program that was announced by NSW Government in its 2012-13 Budget last week.

According to the Department, the Urban Activation Precincts program reflects a more strategic approach to urban development and aims to provide greater certainty for the community and landowners regarding the future urban form of a precinct through development of streamlined code-based assessment processes in appropriate locations.

"Precincts will deliver more appealing and interconnected urban areas where people will want to live. Urban Activation Precincts will provide potential for a range of housing and jobs that have greater access to public transport and are properly integrated with existing and planned infrastructure," the Department states.

A Precinct Support Scheme will provide $50 million financial support for councils that partner in Urban Activation Precincts to address increased demand for local infrastructure and create high quality urban environments for existing and future residents.

Growth Infrastructure Plans will be used to identify where infrastructure needs to be augmented to support planned growth within Urban Activation Precincts.

The Department said that future Urban Activation Precincts will be transformative opportunities that:

• Are consistent with State, regional and/or local strategies;
• Optimise use of existing and planned infrastructure;
• Are important to one or more LGAs and/or supported by council(s);
• Are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable and viable; and
• Are financially viable for development and consistent with market demand.

The documents to support the Urban Activation Precincts program are on public exhibition until 4 July 2012. More information is available from the Department of Planning and Infrastructure website at <http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/>.