• Purpose: Sets the long-term vision, goals, and priorities for Council
• Scope: Broad, overarching, and usually spans 10 years (with a review every 4 years)
• Role: Guides decision-making and aligns resources with community aspirations
• Examples: Clarence City Council Strategic Plan 2021-2031

• Purpose: A high-level document that focuses on setting key principles or directions, achieving specific goals, or addressing particular issues within the strategic plan.
• Scope: Targeted and thematic, focusing on a specific area or issue, such as: waste management, economic development, or customer experience.
• Role: Ensures strategies and plans are actionable and measurable
• Examples: Sustainability Strategy

• Purpose: A structured document that provides a clear framework for action addressing specific challenges, opportunities, activities or priorities.
• Scope: The scope of a plan varies depending on its focus, but it typically includes geographical boundaries (municipality-wide or specific precincts or areas), thematic (housing, transport), or operational (workplace improvement, customer service).
• Role: Can be multifaceted including strategic guidance, resource allocation, coordination of actions and stakeholders, accountability by establishing measurable goals, and engagement with the community and stakeholders in decision making. 
• Example: Reconciliation Action Plan, Economic Development Plan, Youth Plan 2018-2022

• Purpose: Provides a vision and spatial framework for the future development of a specific site or area
• Scope: Spatial and visual, often including design guidelines, principles for land use, infrastructure, and public spaces, often including conceptual layouts, but not construction-level detailed design. 
• Role: Ensures cohesive and sustainable design for infrastructure, open spaces and built environments in a localised area
• Examples: visit the Master Plans page for examples.

• Purpose: Guides the future development and growth of a special area
• Scope: Spatial and planning-focused, detailing land use, infrastructure, and zoning.
• Role: Coordinates development in-line with broader strategic objectives
• Examples: Structure Plan for a new residential precinct.

Management Plan

• Purpose: Details the operational management of council assets, services, or programs
• Scope: Operational and focused on resources, maintenance, and performance
• Role: Ensures effective use and maintenance of council resources
• Examples: Asset Management Plan (Open Space), Clarence Emergency Management Plan 2024

• Purpose: Details how a strategy or plan will be executed
• Scope: Operational and action-oriented, with specific tasks, timelines, responsibility, resource allocation, and performance measurements
• Role: Provides a framework for decision-making and actions to achieve a strategic objective and budget prioritisation.
• Examples: These are typically internal documents that include things such as Customer Experience Strategy Implementation Plan, Sustainability Strategy Implementation Plan and the Workforce Plan Implementation.

• Purpose: Explore issues, options, and potential directions to inform decision-making and next steps
• Scope: Exploratory and often preliminary, serving as a precursor to more formal Strategy, plans, or policies.
• Role: Engages Stakeholders and gathers feedback before finalising strategies or policies.
• Examples: Discussion paper on housing affordability

• Purpose:  Establishes principles or rules to guide decisions and actions
• Scope: Broad or specific, addressing ongoing or recurring issues
• Role: Provides consistent guidance for council staff and decision-makers
• Examples: Community Engagement Policy, Public Art Policy

• Purpose: Provide practical advice or standards to help interpret and implement policies or plans.
• Scope: Non-mandatory but influential in decision-making.
• Role: Ensures consistent practices and interpretations.
• Examples: Guidelines for Petitions, Nature Strip Guidelines

• Purpose: Outlines the specific steps or actions required to carry out a policy, plan or operational task
• Scope: Focused on practical implementation, detailing step-by-step processes for consistent execution
• Role: Ensures consistency, efficiency, and compliance in daily operations by providing clear instructions.
• Examples: Stormwater Management Procedure (New Development), Public Interest Disclosure Procedure

• Purpose: Local law created by the council to regulate specific activities or behaviours
• Scope: Legal and enforceable within the local government area
• Role: Ensures compliance with local rules to maintain order and public welfare
• Examples: Public Places By-Law, Highways By-Law

• Purpose: Regulates land use and development in line with planning policies and legislative requirements
• Scope: Provides a spatially applied framework of assessable standards for development and land use. The structure consists of:
  • State Planning Provisions (SPP) – Standardised planning controls applicable across Tasmania
  • Local Planning Schedule (LPS) – Council-specific provisions including,
  • Zone and code provisions
  • Zone and overlay mapping
  • Special Area Plans (SAP)
  • Site Specific Qualifications (SSQ)
• Role: Ensures that land use and development align with the objectives of the Tasmanian Resource Management and Planning System, supporting sustainable and strategic growth.
• Examples: View the Planning Scheme