Town Planning Areas

Under the Town Planning Act , Fiji is divided into Town Planning Areas. Individual towns, cities and rural areas - including some areas subject to large- scale integrated development - are identified and legally described as separate Town Planning Areas. Within each area, the permission of the relevant local authority is required prior to any development being carried out.

There are two declared cities and ten declared towns in Fiji . The local authority of each is an elected City or Town Council. The cities and towns are:

• Lautoka City
• Suva City
• Ba Town
• Labasa Town
• Lami Town
• Levuka Town
• Nadi Town
• Nasinu Town
• Nausori Town
• Savusavu Town
• Sigatoka Town
• Tavua Town

Each declared city and town except Nasinu Town has an Approved Town Planning Scheme to guide development. Nasinu Town has a draft Town Planning Scheme.

In areas close to declared cities or towns, or otherwise subject to (or likely to be subject to) significant development and/or subdivision, Rural Town Planning Areas are declared. The following are the Rural Town Planning Areas:

• Ba Rural
• Dreketi Rural
• Labasa Rural
• Lautoka Rural
• Nabouwalu Rural
• Nadi Rural
• Nadroga Rural
• Nausori Rural
• Navua Rural
• Ra Rural
• Savusavu Rural
• Seaqaqa Rural
• Suva Rural
• Tavua Rural
• Wainikoro Rural

Areas that are not within declared Cities or Towns, or within approved Rural Town Planning Areas, are subject to the Town Planning (General) Order. The Town Planning Act describes the General Town Planning Area as:

All those plots of land wheresoever situated not referred to in any other order made under the provisions of Section 6 of the Town Planning Act in which hotel or subdivisional development has taken, or is, proposed to be, taking place…

The Town Planning General Area excludes agricultural land and land subject to subdivision for agricultural purposes; otherwise all proposed development is subject to the requirements of the Town Planning Act .