Improvements to Development Assessment: State Government's proposed changes open for consultation

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (the Department) is proposing a number of administrative changes to assist in the assessment of development applications. In particular, these changes are targeted at improving the quality of DAs before they ever reach Council’s assessment team. The changes are as follows:

Digital tool

The Department proposes to introduce an online tool, which provides Applicants with guidance on the types of documents, who should prepare them, and relevant standards required when submitting a DA. This guidance would be tailored to suit the particular type of development that the Applicant is applying for and the location of that development. The tool is intended to ensure that Applicants are submitting DAs that are of a sufficient standard as to enable Council to complete a proper assessment without having to issue requests for further information. To do so, the tool will bring together and concisely outline all document and drawing requirements currently enshrined in:

1. The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
2. The Fisheries Management Act 1994
3. The Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016
4. The NSW Planning Portal’s Approved Form, per the Application requirements published in March 2022
5. Agency policies and guidance
6. Council policies and practices

Requirements and standards

The Department intends to update and clarify existing DA requirements and standards, to ensure drawings include greater detail about scales, revisions, dates, addresses, titles, height data, orientation, materials, finishes, colour, texture, composition, BASIX commitments, and ADG satisfaction. Again, the intention of these changes is to ensure that any defects in the plans is corrected before they even reach the assessment stage of the application process, meaning that Councils will be spared the delay of chasing further details from Applicants before making their determinations.

The updated requirements will also be accompanied by new standards for Statements of Environmental Effects, mandatory drawings (such as elevations, landscape plans etc.), commonly required documents (such as acid sulphate soils assessments, acoustic reports etc.), and commonly required drawings (such as shadow diagrams). A list of these new standards can be found at Attachments A – D here: Improving development assessment - Discussion Paper.

Clearer timeframes

The Department also intends to fix the ’grey area’ in current legislation as to the difference between submission and lodgement of DAs (terms that are used inconsistently among the legislation). The Department proposes to introduce an online payment gateway, so that the date of lodgement of the DA can be determined with greater clarity. This will ensure that statutory timeframes for appeal rights can be understood more clearly.

Stages

1. The Department proposes to first introduce its online guidance tool and update DA document requirements and standards.
2. Then, at a later date, the Department will introduce its online payment gateway and clarify submission v lodgement in the legislation.

Make a Submission

The Department’s discussion paper outlining the above changes is currently on exhibition here for community consultation until 30 July 2026: Improving Development Assessment Discussion Paper | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment

The Department will be considering any submissions received during this period.