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Planning reforms

New housing at Cameron Park. Lake Macquarie, NSW. Credit: NSW Department of Planning and Environment / Jaime Plaza Van Roon

The NSW Government is delivering reforms to improve assessment time frames, reduce red tape, eliminate double-handling and fast-track projects that deliver great public benefits, create jobs and keep the economy moving.

A female building certifier inspects scaffolding on a building site. Credit: NSW Department of Planning and Environment / Christopher Walters

Reforms to complying development, focused on employment areas, offer a fast-tracked approval pathway for straight forward developments.

Aerial view of NSW coastal area.

We are reducing the number of applications that need concurrences and referrals and improving system efficiency to deliver faster decisions.

Artist's impression of industrial business area.

Employment land strategies summarise the economic settings, barriers to growth and opportunities associated with employment land in specific local government areas.

Cafes and restaurants lining the Five Ways, Paddington. Credit: Destination NSW

We have delivered a simplified employment zone framework to support job creation and increased productivity.

Looking down on 1 Bligh St, Sydney NSW 2000.

A new, simpler and more transparent way to improve the quality and consistency of development cost estimates.

Children enjoying The Ian Potter Children's Wild Play Garden in Centennial Park. Credit: Destination NSW

The NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program is a $250 million investment in high quality public open space, by incentivising accelerated development assessment speeds and creating long lasting community benefit. 

Apartment construction in Wollongong NSW. Credit: NSW Department of Planning and Environment / Don Fuchs

We work with proponents, councils and NSW Government agencies to resolve issues so that decisions can be made more promptly.

Waverley Cemetery is a state heritage-listed cemetery in an iconic location of Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. Credit: NSW Departmet of Planning and Environment / © 2011 Wandering Feet Photography (Rukshan de Silva)

Large cemetery projects have become state-significant development to make their assessment clearer and more consistent.

Carter Street, Olympic Park Sydney Artist Impressions. Credit: NSW Department of Planning and Environment / TVU Productions

Find out more about how we're building a better future by reforming the planning system.

Construction site of a new building development.

We’ve brought forward immediate reforms to the planning system to support productivity, investment and jobs during COVID-19.

Freight train travelling along the inland NSW rail line.

The Priority Assessment Program identifies and case-manages projects with the potential to deliver a strong pipeline of investment, public benefit, growth and jobs.

Man and woman couple walk through park - Barangaroo, Sydney NSW. Credit: NSW Department of Planning and Environment

We have made changes to major project assessment to reduce timeframes, increase environmental assessment quality and deliver better outcomes.

State significant development warehouse and data centre.

We’ve made temporary changes to include more warehouses and data centres as state-significant development to support the economy and the rapid growth in the e-commerce sector.

Three people sitting together looking at and discussing a document.

We have prepared a guide to writing conditions of development consent and developed new standard conditions to provide greater consistency.