A new planning pathway opened to developers in New South Wales this week.
Launched in December by Premier Chris Minns, the Housing Development Authority is now welcoming expressions of interest. Proposals will be reviewed monthly meaning EOIs will be considered on an ongoing basis.
Before a proposal is recommended as a State Significant Development project, the department will assess it against criteria that meet the objectives of the EOI process:
- identify high-yield housing proposals by focusing on known high-yield types of residential accommodation
- identify housing projects that can be assessed and constructed quickly by focusing on more compliant, major housing proposals that can commence construction quickly
- drive quality and affordable housing by focusing on housing development proposals that are well-located, have enabling infrastructure and contribute to affordable housing supply
- complement the State Significant Rezoning Policy by providing a potential pathway for major housing proposals that are seeking concurrent rezoning.
Headed by the secretary of the Department of Planning Kiersten Fishburn, secretary of the Premier’s Department Simon Draper and Infrastructure NSW CEO Tom Gellibrand, the independent body will sit within the NSW planning department to fast-track approvals.
A statement released from the office of the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces reads: “This new assessment pathway will reduce the number of large complex development applications councils are required to assess each year, freeing up resources for councils to assess less complex DAs faster.”
The HDA has 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, therefore bypassing council scrutiny altogether.
“Developers will now run our communities, not residents.”
When announced, the news shocked councils across the state. “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,” said then president of Local Government New South Wales, Cr Darriea Turley.
Removing councils from the 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, she added. “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.”
When Minns broke the news of the new authority, he expected 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.”
LGNSW called on the Minns 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.”
Leave a Reply