Planning for Growth

What is to be delivered?

• 30,000 home sites rezoned
• 32,500 home sites approved from assessment of state and regionally significant applications
• Easy online service from the NSW Planning Portal

How will it be delivered?

The Department of Planning and Environment will:

• prioritise resources for a simple, faster planning and assessment process including:
  • reducing state significant assessment times from 120 days to 100 days
  • reducing regionally significant assessment times from 366 days to 275 days
  • reducing planning proposal assessment times from 571 to 380 days
  • 90% of planning issues referred to other state agencies determined within agreed timeframes
  • fit for purpose employment zones that support job growth
• case manage services to resolve high value and complex housing applications
• have a planning ‘concierge’ to help people use the NSW planning system
• integrate the NSW Planning Portal into council processes to deliver online services.

Who will benefit?

The program builds on recent reforms to the planning system and will benefit:

• the community who can easily access planning services
• councils to deliver streamlined planning services
• housing developers who can invest in NSW with more certainty

What are the key milestones?

• December 2022: All local environmental plans updated with fit for purpose employment zones to improve ability of businesses to establish, expand or adapt
• June 2023: Report on expedited housing supply from Faster Local Assessment Grant Program
• December 2023: Digital integration of council systems through NSW Planning Portal Application Programming Interfaces (API) Grant funding
• June 2023: Benchmark planning assessment times achieved
• June 2024: 30,000 home sites rezoned and 32,500 home sites approved