Catalogue description Department of the Environment and Predecessors: Planning Land Use Policy Directorate: Registered Files (PLUP Series)

The Planning and Land Use Policy (PLUP) Directorate was created in 1972. It primarily inherited its responsibilities from sections of the 1971 Planning Directorate B, but also drew expertise from Planning Directorate E. The pre-1972 Planning Directorates of the Department of the Environment had inherited some of the functions of the Planning Divisions 'A', 'B' and 'C' of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government.

In the first instance the directorate was mainly responsible for development control policy and procedures on matters concerning land availability, land transactions (including compulsory purchase orders) and compensation, and the disposal of surplus government land under Circular 49/63. The PLUP also dealt with general policy issues on slum clearance, the rehabilitation of derelict land, planning re-development grants, public inquiry procedures and specialist planning appeals (including enforcement and advertisement appeals).

To meet these needs the directorate was organised on the basis of four divisions:

• i) Land Transactions and Compensation Division;
• ii) Land Commission Division (which dealt with the residual functions of the Land Commission);
• iii) Development Control Division; and
• iv) Specialist Appeals.

However, the responsibilities of the directorate were by no means static and thus the directorate was often restructured to enable it to meet changing demands.

In 1974 the directorate also took on responsibility for the policy and legislation regarding the community ownership of development land, including monitoring the community ownership of land development and the implementation of the community land scheme. It retained this responsibility until 1980. To accommodate this addition the directorate was reorganised into seven divisions (PLUP 1 to PLUP 7), three of which dealt with issues concerning community land, although this number was later reduced.

In 1981 the directorate was again restructured, this time to absorb the duties transferred from the Land Economy Directorate. In 1986 PLUP 5 became known as Lands and Property Division (LPD).

This structure was essentially retained until 1987 when these land economy duties were once again separated from the functions of the directorate, and transferred to a separate Land and Property Directorate. The Planning Land Use Policy Directorate was itself then dissolved and re-named Planning and Development Control.