Media Release | 28 July 2022
The NSW Government has introduced a new, world-first land-use tool set to speed up the planning system and save taxpayers millions of dollars a year.
Leon Walker, Deputy Secretary – Homes, Property and Development at the Department of Planning and Environment said the government had partnered with WSP Australia, Giraffe and Aerometrex to develop the Land iQ tool.
“This world first data platform will be a game changer for the planning system, helping government agencies make faster, smarter decisions about the use of land,” Mr Walker said.
“It uses smart technology to speed up planning processes and will help us unlock more homes for people by addressing barriers and exploring opportunities to provide practical solutions across the state.”
“We’re already putting the platform to good use to support the expedited delivery of temporary housing in Northern NSW as part of our flood response,” Mr Walker said.
Minister for Planning and Minister for Homes Anthony Roberts said Land iQ brings more than 40 land use data types into one single platform, making it easy to search more than 8 million lots and properties and test different scenarios for land use.
“Until now, Government agencies have used various methods, tools and systems for land use analysis – it’s inconsistent, broadly manual and inflexible. Land iQ can help to change all that,” Mr Roberts said.
“The tool means agencies can bring together more than 100 datasets from a range of sources to find sites that meet development requirements, then virtually test and learn how different planning scenarios perform in a specific place or region.
“It’s a solution that could help save the taxpayer up to $15 million a year and reduce the time it takes to evaluate projects by at least a month,” Mr Roberts said.
Land iQ had been developed and tested in collaboration with agencies across NSW Government.
“It’s a living platform designed to continue to evolve and adapt to the future needs of users, leveraging new digital resources as they become available,” Mr Walker said.
“While it’s only currently available to NSW Government agencies, the plan is to refine the tool and develop license options to make it available to other levels of government, Councils, Local Aboriginal Land Councils, researchers, and industry.”
