New statewide Community Participation Plan excludes neighbours from DA notifications

The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s new statewide Community Participation Plan (CPP) came into force on 1 September 2026, replacing each local council’s existing unique community participation plans.

The plan standardises timeframes and consultation procedures for planning legislation, policy, and development assessment across the state.

Notification of Development Applications

Most notably, the new CPP effectively excludes resident objectors from being consulted during the development assessment process for a wide range of development types. Public exhibition is no longer required for 32 different development types, including demolition, dual occupancies (up to two storeys), attached dwellings (up to five dwellings), dwelling houses (up to two storeys), multi-dwelling housing (up to five dwellings), secondary dwellings and more provided that the proposed development does not require a variation to the height or floor space ratio development standards by way of a clause 4.6 request.

The new public exhibition exemptions do not apply to designated development, nominated integrated development, threatened species development or State significant development.

All local development not excluded from public exhibition must still be notified to neighbours and exhibited for a minimum of 14 days.

If Council considers that a development application is likely to generate significant public interest based on its location, nature and or scale, it may choose to exhibit that application for an extended timeframe at its discretion.

Notification of strategic plans

The CPP also sets out exhibition requirements for several types of strategic plans:

• Draft regional and district plans are to be exhibited for a minimum of 60 days
• Draft local strategic planning statements are to be exhibited for a minimum of 60 days
• Masterplans for urban renewal areas are to be exhibited for a minimum of 42 days
• Planning proposals to amend or create a new local environmental plan are to be exhibited for a minimum of 28 days, unless otherwise specified in the gateway determination
• Draft development control plans are to be exhibited for a minimum of 28 days
• Draft contributions plans are to be exhibited for a minimum of 28 days

Notification of Legislative changes

Changes to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulations 2021 or to any of the State Environmental Planning Policies will be publicly exhibited if the Minister determines that public exhibition is required and for a timeframe decided by the Minister based on the urgency, scale or nature of the proposal.