Physical Planning Act.

This Act provides for physical planning in South Africa at national and local level. It assigns functions to the Minister of Regional and Land Affairs for achievement the objects of this Act and grants power to the Minister to divide the Republic into two or more development regions and to divide a development region into two or more planning regions. The Minister shall ensure that physical planning is promoted and coordinated on a national and regional basis. The Minister may cause a national development plan to be prepared for the Republic and a regional development plan to be prepared for a development region or any portion of such region. In order to cause a policy plan to be prepared, the Planning Authority concerned may establish a planning committee to prepare a draft of that policy plan for an area defined by the Planning Authority. The Act also, among other things, provides for urban structure plans, defines legal consequences of various plans, defines offences and grants regulation-making powers to the Minister.