The planning authorities in Darwin have accepted the general recommendations of the Department of Health and Community Services (DH&CS) that there should be a 1.6 km buffer zone between urban development and large and uncontrolled sources of biting insects unless detailed entomological investigations indicate that the buffer distance can be reduced.
Palmerston was the first major urban development in N orthem Australia to consider biting insects in the initial planning process. The urban design was to avoid biting midge and mosquito problems by the incorporation of a buffer zone between the nearby broad margin of mangroves and the urban area. The buffer zone was to have any biting insect breeding sites eliminated and rural residential areas were to provide an additional buffer between the urban areas. The result has been an urban area that is relatively free of mosquito problems.