Councils that improve their assessment timeframes will be given access to a share of $200 million in infrastructure funding under the NSW Government’s Faster Assessments Incentive program, the state’s Planning Minister has declared today.
Minister Paul Scully said the program will fund local infrastructure projects for councils expected to deliver a higher proportion of housing under the Government’s five-year housing targets, and those that are reducing their development assessment timeframes or keeping assessment timeframes down.
“Councils who have worked hard to improve their performance and meet the Ministerial Statement of Expectations on DA assessment times can now access a share of $200 million in local infrastructure funding,” said Mr Scully.
“Councils assess 85% of all Development Applications and have a critical role to play in delivering the homes we need during the Housing Accord period.
“We have applied both the carrot and the stick, and now we’re seeing results. A 24% reduction in assessment timeframes means DAs are being approved and builders can get construction underway faster and reduce costs.
“There is more work to do but there is a downward trend in assessment times, while the number of housing proposals are increasing,” he said.
Funding will also be made available for a Digital Assistance program, providing councils with financial assistance towards Application Programming Interface (API) updates. The Minister says API upgrades promote better integration with the NSW Planning Portal, streamlining development assessment and approval processes.
At the start of the National Housing Accord, the Government announced a range of measures to support and hold councils accountable to assessing Development Applications faster, including a new Ministerial Statement of Expectations, five year housing targets, infrastructure grants and a new Council League Table published every month.
Council League Table data shows a 24% decrease in assessment timeframes in the last Financial Year, with DAs now being assessed in 83 days on average, or less than three months. This means 69% of councils are now meeting the new Ministerial Statement of Expectations, compared to 49% at the beginning of the Housing Accord, the Minister said.
New data published today, also shows the NSW Government is completing State Significant Development assessments in 253 days, faster than the 275 day timeframe it committed to.
By reducing the time it takes to assess a Development Application, this reduces the time spent waiting to move into new homes, said Mr Scully.
“This is part of the Minns Government’s plan to build a better NSW with more homes, parks and services, so young people, families and key local workers have somewhere to live and in the communities they choose,” he said.
Councils across Greater Sydney and regional NSW that are expected to deliver more than 1,000 homes during the Accord period will be eligible for a share of $67 million funding in the first round.
For more information on eligibility, visit Faster Assessments Incentive Program | Planning.
