15 January | Planning + Reform Tracker
Welcome to 2025 and a new year for planning and property development in NSW. One thing remains the same – housing continues to dominate the political landscape, with concerns about housing affordability outranking even the cost of living as a topic for conversation at a federal political level.
In New South Wales this has flowed through to the State Government, which has been focused on unlocking solutions to the supply of housing as required by the Housing Accord. To this end, the last months of 2024 saw the State Government:
Establishing a new “Housing Delivery Authority” as a NSW Government Agency. The Housing Delivery Authority will review expressions of interest from developers hoping that their projects are eligible major residential developments for a new State Significant Development (SSD) Planning Pathway. The criteria for eligible projects have been designed to encourage large residential developments, including an estimated development cost of around $60 million in Greater Sydney. The Housing Delivery Authority will meet monthly and make recommendations to the Minister for Planning about which of these EOI projects should be able to access the SSD pathway, with fast-track rezoning included where relevant. The new SSD assessment pathway will include simplified, specific Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements. The new SSD pathway will operate at least until the end of the Housing Accord Period – June 2029.
Adopting a permanent “Housing Taskforce”, which takes what was a pilot initiative to unlock housing approvals and makes it a formal, ongoing part of the planning system. The Housing Taskforce is focused on addressing delays in approvals by bringing together staff from a range of NSW Government departments and agencies to ensure coordination of agency requirements and a streamlined assessment of housing development applications.
Releasing final masterplans for seven Transport Oriented Development Accelerated Precincts. Transport Oriented Development Accelerated Precincts (TODs) aim to enable the creation of 170,000 mid-rise and mixed-use dwellings within a 400-metre radius of 37 identified train and metro stations within the next 15 years. TODs have a streamlined pathway for planning assessments, including a temporary SSD pathway.
While these new developments have been welcomed by industry, industry continues to affirm that approval processes are only a small part of the housing affordability puzzle and is urging State and Federal Governments to look at taxes, duties, construction costs and skill shortages – all of which are seen as significant obstacles impeding housing affordability and availability.
In terms of keeping up with changes in the planning and political landscape, I am pleased to announce that we are bringing back PremierNational’s ‘Planning Reform Tracker’. This is a monthly table that we prepare to track the progress of major NSW Government policy and regulatory proposals from the initial announcement through to implementation.
PLANNING REFORM TRACKER
Please contact me, Planning & Corporate Affairs Director Ilana Waldman if you have any questions with respect to any of these items.
Finally, keep an eye out in your inbox for our upcoming series, “In conversation with Richo”, where I interview Labor legend Graham Richardson for his insights into current political issues and developments.
