The NSW Government has established the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) through the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. HDA is a new state-led approval pathway for major residential housing projects, as well as a process for rezonings – avoiding the need to be approved by councils and cutting assessment and approval times and speeding up the delivery of new homes.

This will also reduce the workload for Councils, allowing them to concentrate on the less complex applications which will help tackle the housing supply and affordability crisis. There will only be a short consultation period about the establishment of this Authority, as it will come into effect in early 2025.

This will be available for new housing developments above an estimated development cost of $60 million (on average 100 or more homes) in Greater Sydney and a cost of approximately $30 million (on average 40 or more homes) in regional NSW.

The HDA will include the Secretary of the Premier’s Department Simon Draper, the Secretary of the Department of Planning Kiersten Fishburn, and the Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure NSW, Tom Gellibrand. The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces will continue to be the consent authority for projects through this pathway.

Proposals selected through an expression of interest process to take this pathway will not be required to be considered by councils for development and will benefit from an approval timeline that is potentially reduced by years.

As part of this reform, the Minns Labor Government is also introducing a new pathway that will allow selected projects which would deliver significant housing uplift, but require more significant rezonings, to go through a DPHI-led fast track rezoning pathway that does not require a council process.

The consultation should be open soon and we will let you know when we have more information available.

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For any enquiries, or questions, please contact ACS NSW Head of Advocacy Melanie Gibbons via melanie@consultingsurveyors.com.au

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