Here are are the recent posts.
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Membership & Donations
Read more: Membership & DonationsPLan is an incorporated voluntary organization working towards a better living environment. Our Financial year is from 1 July to 30 June each year. Membership is only $25 per year. 2025 year now open – renew or join now and receive membership to the middle of year 2026. Donations are always welcome if you…
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2024 05 Esplanade Statement of Heritage Value
Read more: 2024 05 Esplanade Statement of Heritage ValueUpdate 18/12/2024 Department of Lands, Planning and Environment Heritage Council speaks to the Supreme Court decision on the Darwin Esplanade 17 December 2024 Background On 3 December 2021 the Heritage Council accepted a nomination from a member of the public for the Darwin Esplanade to be a protected heritage place under the Heritage Act 2011.…
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2024 07 Strategic Directions Planning Policy
Read more: 2024 07 Strategic Directions Planning PolicyThis submission closes 31 July 2024. https://haveyoursay.nt.gov.au/strategic-directions-planning-policy At this stage we have yet to engage with this process, please return to this web site in the future. StrategicDirections download the pdf.
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Fast Tracking Change
Read more: Fast Tracking ChangeA Fast-Track Planning System at the Expense of DemocracyOn 27 August 2025, the Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment issued a declaration under section 11(3) of the Planning Act 1999, exempting certain classes of planning scheme amendments from public exhibition. The declaration is here: Declaration under section 11(3) – Class of Amendments (PDF): https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1555394/declaration-under-section-11-3-of-the-planning-act-1999-class-of-amendments.pdfThe declaration…
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Why the Harry Chan Site Should Be Heritage Listed
Read more: Why the Harry Chan Site Should Be Heritage ListedDarwin once had a thriving Chinatown, centred on Cavenagh and Bennett Streets, stretching across to what is now Civic Park and the Harry Chan site. From the late 19th century, Chinese migrants ran stores, boarding houses, herbalists’ shops, cafés, and gardens here. Chinatown was both an economic hub and a cultural heart for Darwin’s Chinese…
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Candidates win right to ‘reasonably canvass’ without fines after Supreme Court battle against City of Darwin, NT Electoral Commission
Read more: Candidates win right to ‘reasonably canvass’ without fines after Supreme Court battle against City of Darwin, NT Electoral CommissionFrom NT News 22/8/25 Candidates can no longer be fined for “reasonably canvassing” during early voting, following a legal stoush with the City of Darwin and the Northern Territory Electoral Commission. The breakthrough came during a Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday, after legal action was launched by lord mayoral hopeful Leah Potter. It was backed…
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Legal action filed against Darwin Council over new civic centre
Read more: Legal action filed against Darwin Council over new civic centreFrom NT Independent article: https://ntindependent.com.au/legal-action-filed-against-darwin-council-over-proposed-civic-centre/ A Federal Court application has been lodged seeking to force Darwin Council to hand over documents relating to the deal it struck with developer DCOH to build the controversial 21-storey civic centre-private office tower, along with details of how it is using ratepayer money on the project. An originating application…
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Asti Motel site is back – 2025
Read more: Asti Motel site is back – 2025We asked the planning department (in part) An example of community disadvantage is for the applicant to request a change the traffic flows while not providing an up-to-date traffic assessment. The original report was done in 2019 with a 2 page addition dated August 23 that uses data from 2022 advising there had been no…
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Darwin Council hid costings for two alternative civic centre designs from public
Read more: Darwin Council hid costings for two alternative civic centre designs from publicNT Independent by David Wood | Aug 13, 2025 | Business, News, Costings for two different versions of the new Darwin Council civic centre were given to council but never made public in the months before it put out an expression of interest for the building, that led to a partnership with developer DCOH to build the controversial 21-story hybrid civic…
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COD Election Forum 2025
Read more: COD Election Forum 2025City of Darwin Council Election Candidates Forum All Welcome. Thursday 14th August 2025 5pm Bagot Park Hosted by PLan: the Planning Action Network Inc What are your top 5 questions? Take the survey here: https://actionnetwork.org/surveys/city-of-darwin-council-election-candidates-forum-5-questions/ How NT Local Government Elections Work (A Voter’s Guide) The Northern Territory has 5 municipal councils, 10 regional councils, and 3…
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Support Heritage Listing of the Darwin Esplanade
Read more: Support Heritage Listing of the Darwin EsplanadeMake Your Voice Heard: Support Heritage Listing of the Darwin Esplanade ✅ Sign the petition to support the full heritage listing of the Esplanade: support the full heritage listing of the Esplanade The NT Heritage Council is currently reconsidering the full heritage listing of the Darwin Esplanade, following a 2023 NT Supreme Court decision that…
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Parap Pool Caretakers House
Read more: Parap Pool Caretakers HouseIn an extraordinary move the City of Darwin is asking the Planning Minister Hon Josh Burgoyne to waive exhibition of a zoning amendment at the Parap Swimming pool site. At PLan we may be a bit cynical but this seems like a sure fire way to get (that pesky) community out of the way of…
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Blake Street July 2025
Read more: Blake Street July 2025Commentary on Blake Street and Waratah Street. See Waratah Street here: https://planinc.org.au/the-privatisation-of-7-waratah-crescent-land-historically-zoned-community-purposes/ It shows how urgently we need to draw public attention to the lack of statutory protections for community land in the NT, which is far weaker than in other states . There is a common pattern: land historically zoned for Community Purpose (CP)…