The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinars
Urbanity
Awards
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
ADVERTISEMENT
SHARE
print
Print
OtherStaff WriterSun 08 Jan 17

Property Council: Environmental Planning & Assessment Act A Good Start But Not Quite Enough

iStock-139389161_620x380

New South Wales' State Government recently proposed changes to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act), which have been accepted by industry groups like the Property Council of Australia NSW.

It is a good next step to streamlining the planning system and boosting housing supply in NSW, Property Council of Australia NSW Executive Director Jane Fitzgerald said.

She said the amendments proposed by Planning Minister Rob Stokes were needed because a better planning system would help increase housing supply to make buying a home, especially in Sydney, more affordable.

“The proposed amendments to the EP&A Act will improve the NSW planning system so that better strategic planning objectives are achieved and more houses can be built,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

However, Ms Fitzgerald said that it is a good start but not enough.

"The NSW system needs radical surgery, not a nip and a tuck," she said.

"Currently, it’s the worst system in the country and while the package of proposals will certainly improve it, it’s a shame the Minister hasn’t been a little bolder in the reforms he has outlined.

“For example, we are disappointed that the Minister has not included reforms that would see more development proposals that comply with set criteria or standards (“code assessable development”) able to be fast-tracked reducing red tape and costs in the system.”

Ms Fitzgerald said other jurisdictions incorporated more code assessment for more types of development and NSW should be leading, not following, in this regard.

“In NSW, we simply need more homes built, more quickly because home ownership is becoming elusive for a whole generation.

“We need a planning system in NSW which delivers housing to make ownership accessible again. We need a better, cheaper, faster NSW planning system to make that happen.

“According to the Greater Sydney Commission we need to build an extra 725,000 dwellings over the next 20 years – to reach this figure we need urgent changes made to the planning system so that we can turbo charge supply.

“When it comes to building the homes NSW needs, the property industry needs clarity and certainty on who makes planning decisions so homes can be built more quickly without the cost of delays adding to the final price of a home – we strongly welcome the changes that will address this."

ResidentialAustraliaConstructionPlanningPolicyPlanningPolicy
AUTHOR
Staff Writer
"TheUrbanDeveloper.com is committed to delivering the latest news, reviews, opinions and insights into the best of urban development from Australia and around the world. "
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Parallel Workshops Stockdale Housing PBSA project
Exclusive

Suburban Success Story Turns PBSA Thinking on its Head

Leon Della Bosca
7 Min
Exclusive

Interstate Developers Find Lots to Love in ‘Progressive, Affordable’ SA

Taryn Paris
5 Min
Bates Smart Richmond Sportslink HERO
Exclusive

BtR Focus Drives Bates Smart’s Richmond Sportslink Concept

Leon Della Bosca
6 Min
Exclusive

Carparking Correlation: How Parking Fees Provide Office Sector Health Check

Taryn Paris
6 Min
Molti chief Ben Teague out front of 32 Mercer Road Aramadale (rendering)
Exclusive

Buy to the Sound of Cannons: Molti’s Counter-Cyclical Move to Melbourne

Leon Della Bosca
5 Min
View All >
Kangaroo Point Aria Canopy House Revised DA Approval hero
Development

Aria’s Revised Tower Greenlit for Inner-City Kangaroo Point

Phil Bartsch
Warren and Mahoney's rendering of Leftfield's project at 691-693 Burke Road, in Melbourne's Camberwell.
Residential

Leftfield Lifts Cover on 14-Storey Scheme at Camberwell

Marisa Wikramanayake
Parallel Workshops Stockdale Housing PBSA project
Exclusive

Suburban Success Story Turns PBSA Thinking on its Head

Leon Della Bosca
Top marks for developer’s move from ‘crammed’ city towers to spacious suburban student accommodation…
LATEST
Kangaroo Point Aria Canopy House Revised DA Approval hero
Development

Aria’s Revised Tower Greenlit for Inner-City Kangaroo Point

Phil Bartsch
3 Min
Warren and Mahoney's rendering of Leftfield's project at 691-693 Burke Road, in Melbourne's Camberwell.
Residential

Leftfield Lifts Cover on 14-Storey Scheme at Camberwell

Marisa Wikramanayake
3 Min
Parallel Workshops Stockdale Housing PBSA project
Exclusive

Suburban Success Story Turns PBSA Thinking on its Head

Leon Della Bosca
7 Min
Third.i Crows Nest Dolls House render EDM
Build-to-Rent

Thirdi Scraps Office Tower for Crows Nest Over-Station Site

Vanessa Croll
4 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://theurbandeveloper.com/articles/nsw-environmental-planning-assessment-act-step-right-direction