A new planning pathway proposed by the NSW government will sideline councils and deprive the community of a voice, says the local government peak body.
Under the government’s proposal – announced on Friday by premier Chris Minns – a state-led planning authority will bypass local councils and have the ability to approve or reject residential developments worth more than $60 million in Sydney and $30 million in rural and regional areas of NSW.
A new body – the Housing Development Authority – will sit within the planning department to fast-track approvals. Three public servants will head the HDA: secretary of the Department of Planning Kiersten Fishburn, secretary of the Premier’s Department Simon Draper and Infrastructure NSW CEO Tom Gellibrand.
News of the planning overhaul – which has shocked councils across the state – was high on the agenda at the Local Government NSW annual conference in Tamworth this week.
“There were already a number of planning-related motions on our business paper and we expect that the state government’s bombshell announcement on Friday will now feature prominently in discussion,” LGNSW president Darriea Turley told Government News.
Indeed, a priority motion was carried by members on Monday formally condemning the planning overhaul. The unanimous move was one of the first items of business at the LGNSW conference.
When Minns broke the news of a planning overhaul while delivering the Bradfield Oration, he was expecting a backlash. “I’m sure some people will push back against it, but we’re making this call because we don’t have any time to waste,” he said, adding: “For over a decade in NSW, governments have made it harder to build the homes we need, not easier – but this cannot continue if we want to be a city that young people can afford to live in.”
In a statement released in response, LGNSW said: “Today the premier has handed property developers an early Christmas present at the expense of every community in NSW, by sidelining councils and communities from the planning and assessment process.”
In the statement, Turley said councils are in shock over the government’s plans. “We know full well there is a housing crisis, and we honestly thought we were working with the state government in good faith to address it. We were working collaboratively to improve the planning processes and ensure the voices of our communities are heard as part of any reform. Instead, without any warning, the premier has moved the goalposts and dropped this bombshell.”
Removing councils from the spot rezoning process means removing the community’s voice, Turley said. “It will give developers a clear run to propose their own height limits, density and green space settings – it means that developers will now run our communities, not residents.”
The government’s proposal will put communities in jeopardy, said Turley. “It’s not just about amenity, it’s about the liveability of our communities – not just for us but for generations to come. This new pathway will deliver windfall gains for developers and worsen congestion, create over-crowding and remove the safeguards that protect communities from inappropriate and ad hoc development. It also completely undermines community trust in planning.”
LGNSW called on the government to listen to all communities, not just developers, in addressing the housing crisis. “Come back to the table and work with local government, not against us.”
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