Regional, Town and Country Planning Act

The Regional, Town and Country Planning Act is the principal legislation governing land use, physical development, and spatial planning throughout Zimbabwe. The Act provides the legal machinery to regulate how land is developed, subdivided, and used, balancing private property rights with the public interest in orderly, sustainable growth.

Key provisions include:

• Planning hierarchy – Provides for the preparation of three levels of planning instruments:

  • Regional plans – Cover large geographic areas involving multiple local authorities, addressing cross-boundary issues such as transport corridors, water catchments, and regional economic development.

  • Master plans – Apply to individual local authority areas, setting out long-term development strategies, land use zones, and infrastructure corridors.

  • Local plans – Detail specific controls for smaller areas, including site-specific development conditions, building lines, and amenity preservation.

• Development control – Requires any person wishing to subdivide land, change land use, construct buildings, or undertake engineering works to obtain planning permission from the responsible local authority. Specifies application procedures, public participation requirements, and decision-making criteria.

• Enforcement powers – Grants local authorities the power to issue stop orders, require demolition of unlawful structures, and prosecute offenders. Prescribes penalties for unauthorized development, including fines and restoration orders.

• Appeals mechanism – Establishes the Administrative Court as the appellate body for persons aggrieved by planning decisions, ensuring fairness and legal recourse.

• Compensation provisions – Sets out rules for compensating landowners where planning restrictions reduce property values, as well as for land acquired for public purposes.

For any landowner, developer, or investor operating within your local authority’s area, compliance with this Act is mandatory before undertaking any significant building, subdivision, or change of land use.

• Regional Town and Country Planning Act pdf (577kb) [ download ]