The landmark NSW Planning System Reforms Bill 2025 has passed both houses of Parliament with overwhelming support, paving the way for a faster, fairer and modern planning system.
The passage of the Bill marks the most significant overhaul of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 in a generation, modernising the foundational legislation of the state’s housing, jobs, infrastructure, and energy delivery.
For decades, the planning system has grown overly complex and slow, holding back the delivery of new homes, job creating investments and adding unnecessary costs and delays to the construction pipeline. These reforms will help clear the bottlenecks and make the system work for communities, councils, and builders alike.
The Bill introduces a suite of changes to streamline planning approvals, provide greater certainty for industry and communities, and cut unnecessary red tape, and has received widespread support through the NSW Parliament.
Key reforms include:
- Establishing the Development Coordination Authority – a single front door for advice on major projects across NSW government agencies
- Enshrining the Housing Delivery Authority in legislation to make sure there is an enduring, state-wide focus on housing delivery
- Expanding Complying Development pathways to enable faster approvals for low-impact development
- Introducing a new Targeted Assessment Pathway for developments already subject to strategic planning and community consultation
- Amending the EP&A Act’s objects to include housing delivery, climate resilience and proportionality for the first time
- Replacing more than 100 consultation plans with a single, state-wide Community Participation Plan
- Removing unnecessary duplication, including regional planning panels and outdated assessment pathways
Housing Industry Association (HIA) Executive Director, Brad Armitage, said that the passing of the bill is great for the housing industry in NSW.
“For too long, navigating the NSW planning system has been difficult, slow and costly. The reforms contained in the Bill will help streamline approvals, remove unnecessary red tape and provide more certainty for the industry,” Armitage said.
“This Bill delivers more consistency and a proportionate, risk-based approach to development assessment. Why is it that a deck in a backyard is subject to mostly the same planning approval processes as a football stadium? This new bill will make the process of getting an approval easier, allowing more shovels in the ground faster and ultimately more keys in doors.
“These long overdue reforms will also enable more straightforward, low-risk developments to be considered as complying development, freeing up councils to focus on more complex assessments.
“HIA has strongly advocated for the need for changes to the planning system and these significant reforms address some of the key obstacles the industry faces every day.
“HIA also acknowledges the role of the NSW Opposition in these reforms, whose bipartisan support assisted in the development and passage of the Bill.
“There is still a lot more to be done and HIA looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the NSW Government on the implementation of the reforms.”
