In New South Wales, more than 5,250 development applications have been considered by councils in the past 12 months, but almost 1,000 of these have encountered avoidable delays due to being lodged with minor errors and inconsistencies.
The New South Wales Government is releasing a guide for councils on a best practice approach for reviewing draft conditions of consent to reduce errors and eliminate the need for some modification applications.
The planning circular outlines a new proactive step for developments with 30 or more dwellings, which would see councils provide applicants with the draft conditions of consent for their review during the assessment process. Applicants will then have seven days to review the draft conditions of consent and provide council with any feedback.
Introducing this proactive step will help identify and correct these minor errors and inconsistencies before the consent is granted, and ultimately minimise the need for modification applications, reducing delays in the post-consent stage.
This new process is already undertaken for DAs assessed by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. It also supports the Department’s introduction in August 2024 of standard conditions of consent and standard format notices of determination, to help speed up assessment timeframes, provide greater consistency and certainty, and make development consents easier to navigate.
The State Government has said that it is committed to streamlining the planning system from DA lodgement to completion, because that is how it will build more homes and make sure that everyone from workers, families to downsizers can get into a home.
New South Wales Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, said that these are simple errors leading to unnecessary delays.
“A planning circular will be issued so that typos don’t get in the way of building new homes,” Scully said.
“The New South Wales Government has adopted a better practice when it comes to consent conditions to see better results and more homes built faster.”
