UDIA NSW strongly welcomes the announcement by the Minns Government of a NSW Planning System Reforms Amendment Bill which would make NSW a more pro-housing state, provide faster development assessments for industry and deliver more certainty about housing outcomes for communities.

It includes a suite of measures that UDIA NSW advocated for and we are pleased Government has taken on board our proposals.

“This is the planning reform that NSW needs to help industry build the homes people need,” said UDIA NSW CEO Stuart Ayres (pictured).

NSW desperately needs a pro-housing culture across Government and communities, we can no longer afford to lock out the next generation from the housing market.

“Making housing supply an objective of the Planning Act is an overdue and common-sense reform. I am confident these reforms will see more homes built faster.”

The adoption of UDIA's proposal for a Development Coordination Authority to centralise and manage Government agency approvals will slash the red tape strangling development approvals and slowing the construction of new homes.

“The creation of this one stop shop gives NSW an Authority with the teeth to accelerate approvals from water and other essential service agencies allowing homes to be delivered faster.“

Increasing the amount of development that can be approved as complying development is sensible and will allow low-impact housing to be approved faster and at lower cost.

“Introducing deemed approvals for minor variations is a positive step forward and recognition that keys in the doors of new homes is the priority over complex processes. Expanding the use of deemed approvals is welcome and should be considered across all housing types – from homes with backyards through to apartments.”

The creation of the “Targeted Assessment Pathway” is a welcome adoption of a hybrid-assessment model that appropriately recognises existing strategic planning and community consultation.

Communities remain at the heart of planning decisions and these reforms ensure that people will always get a say in what takes place in their own neighbourhoods. The establishment of the Community Participation Plan will bring welcomed consistency to the consultation process across the state.

UDIA NSW will consider this Bill in detail once it has been introduced into the Parliament. We call on all members of the Parliament to put homes before politics and work constructively to ensure NSW gets desperately needed improvements to the NSW Planning Act.