What is the difference between an Assessment Requirement and an Assessment Outcome?
An Assessment Requirement is a specific requirement in the Territory Plan that must be met for the development to be approved. These can set defined controls for matters such as building height, setbacks or other development limits. ACT Planning describes zone policies as containing the assessment requirements that must be met.
An Assessment Outcome describes the result the development is expected to achieve rather than prescribing only one way of achieving it. There is generally more flexibility in demonstrating how the proposal satisfies an Assessment Outcome.
Reference: ACT Territory Plan – Territory Plan 2023 | Notifiable instruments
Short Answer
An Assessment Requirement must be met where it applies. An Assessment Outcome describes what the development needs to achieve and generally provides more flexibility in how that outcome is demonstrated.
Detailed Explanation
An Assessment Requirement is a mandatory provision of the Territory Plan that a development proposal must satisfy where it applies. The Territory Plan's zone and district policies contain applicable Assessment Requirements alongside Assessment Outcomes.
An Assessment Outcome identifies an outcome against which the development proposal is assessed and allows the applicant to demonstrate through the design and supporting documentation how that outcome is achieved. Technical Specifications may be used as guidance for meeting the relevant Assessment Outcomes, but they are not themselves part of the Territory Plan and need not necessarily be followed where the proposal can otherwise demonstrate compliance with the relevant Territory Plan provisions.
No minimum block size does not remove the need for planning assessment.
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