NSW Planning Shake-Up Promises Faster Approvals

The Planning Systems Reform Bill 2025 has passed NSW parliament with bipartisan support, cementing the legal basis for faster project delivery in the state.

The Bill, passed on November 11, contains a raft of measures, amendments and new elements to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

Those reforms are chiefly aimed at speeding up the progress of proposals through the planning system, and enabling faster and more efficient housing starts.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said that the state “has been held back by a system that was slow, complex and out of step with the necessity to deliver more homes for those who need them”.

“These reforms will help us build more homes faster, in the right places, giving young people and families the chance to access a home.”

Among other provisions, four additional objects have been added to the EP&A Act, to guide policymakers and planners in considering the purpose of the planning system.

The Act as it now stands will aim to “promote the supply, delivery and maintenance of housing, including affordable housing”, as well as promoting “productivity through the development and management of the State and its resources”.

A new object to “promote resilience to climate change and natural disasters through adaptation, mitigation, preparedness and prevention” has been joined by another, “to promote a proportionate and risk-based approach to environmental planning and assessment”.

The reforms also establish the Development Coordination Authority and the Housing Delivery Authority as legislated bodies. The Development Coordination Authority has been described by the government as a “single front door for advice on major projects across NSW government agencies”.

The Housing Delivery Authority, established and operational since January 2025, will continue as a newly-legislated body, with additional legislated oversight.

▲ Under the reforms, legislated scrutiny will now be applied to the newly enshrined Housing Delivery Authority.

An overhaul of the pathways available to development proposals is included in the Bill, including the introduction of a new Targeted Assessment Pathway for projects already subject to community consultation and strategic planning.

Complying Development pathways will be expanded under the Bill, and low-impact developments which are applicable should be able to access faster approvals. 

Meanwhile, duplication among outdated pathways and regional planning panels has been tidied up, and a single Community Participation plan will replace more than 100 consultation plans in the state.

Bipartisan support smooths amendments 

While the Bill had bipartisan support, amendments were proposed and accepted in the Legislative Assembly. The Opposition incorporated amendments that enable reviews and oversight of the HDA, and the necessity for the Planning Minister to publish reasons when declining to accept a recommendation from the HDA.

Independents Alex Greenwich (Sydney) and Jacqui Scruby (Pittwater) pushed through changes to the wording of existing objects of the Act, including consideration of the environment, and of the health and safety of building occupants.

The government also accepted an amendment from independent Michael Regan (Wakehurst) that squashed the proposed removal of section 10.3 from the Act, which deals with bushfire prone land mapping.

Planning minister Paul Scully said that the overwhelming parliamentary support “demonstrates a shared commitment to tackling NSW’s housing challenges and enabling a modern economy”.

▲ Councils and the NSW RFS will still be required to map bushfire prone land, after a successful amendment by Michael Regan.

“This does not mean that we will take our foot off the pedal. If anything, the real work starts now, and we will be working hard to see these reforms implemented,” Scully said.

“I thank my parliamentary colleagues for recognising that reform was overdue and working constructively to help deliver it.”

Industry welcomes reform Bill

Industry figures have supported the new Bill and its provisions, with Urban Taskforce chief executive Tom Forrest saying that housing “has been treated almost as a byproduct of the NSW planning legislation. 

“These reforms help put housing front and centre of the raison d’etre of planning laws in NSW,” Forrest said.

“The Government and the Opposition are to be congratulated for seeing this bipartisan reform through. It shows that age old problems, like the most unwieldy planning system in the nation, can be addressed if there is a common commitment from the sensible centre in politics.”

Property Council NSW executive director Anita Hugo said that the reforms were a big step forward for the state, and that the Bill clears away “long-standing inefficiencies and provides the tools needed to deliver more homes, jobs, and investment”.

“The Bill embeds long-term thinking about people, places and productivity into the heart of the planning system. It gives government and industry a stronger platform for collaboration,” Hugo said.

“The next challenge is execution—resourcing assessment teams, finalising practice notes and maintaining open dialogue with industry to make the reforms work on the ground.”