Home Property Australia NSW Parliamentary Inquiry – Land Release and Housing Supply

NSW Parliamentary Inquiry – Land Release and Housing Supply

  • November 01, 2018

NSW Parliamentary Inquiry – Land Release and Housing Supply

On 25 October, the Legislative Assembly Committee on Environment and Planning released its report into land release and housing supply in New South Wales. The inquiry ran for 16 months and was initiated following a request from the Minister for Planning, Anthony Roberts, in June 2017.

The terms of reference given to the committee were very broad and included specific consideration of the resources allocated to the Department of Planning and Environment for it to provide for a housing supply process and to coordinate and fund enabling infrastructure. The inquiry was welcomed by all industry stakeholders involved in land and housing development.

Property Council made a written submission to the inquiry and Property Council NSW Executive Director Jane Fitzgerald gave evidence before the committee on 5 March 2018.

Key issues examined relevant to the property and development industry include: 

  • Fundamental complexity of the NSW planning system, including multiple layers
  • Decision making and agency collaboration/referrals
  • Funding and delivery of infrastructure, including contributions and value capture
  • Shortage and lack of experienced planners in local councils
  • Local character and liveability of neighbourhoods
  • Housing affordability and provision of affordable housing.

The committee has made 11 recommendations.

Recommendation 1 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government establishes a consultative process to identify and agree that there are opportunities to simplify and improve the New South Wales planning system, and a timetable to implement them.

Recommendation 2 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government identifies aspects of the role and responsibilities of the Greater Sydney Commission which would benefit non-metropolitan planning, and applies them through a regional coordinating mechanism agreed between the Department of Planning and Environment and local government.

Recommendation 3 – The Committee recommends that the NSW Government implements a coordinated and transparent referral scheme for concurrent approvals by NSW Government agencies.

Recommendation 4 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government document and publish the process of inter-agency collaboration, which underpins the New South Wales planning system, and report publicly the activities and outcomes of the collaboration.

Recommendation 5 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government:

  • priorities work with the affected local councils to overcome the problems identified for managing the development of land in fragmented ownership; and
  • clarifies, and amends where necessary, the powers of the Greater Sydney Commission, the Department of Planning and Environment, and local councils to implement planning decisions, and to ensure there is a clear accountability for implementing and overseeing metropolitan and regional planning.

Recommendation 6 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government ensure infrastructure funding mechanisms are simple and made transparent by:

  • undertaking an audit of current infrastructure funding arrangements and funds available, publishing the results, and ensuring ongoing transparency; and
  • consulting with local government, professional planners and the development industry on the most effective ways to simplify the current arrangements.

Recommendation 7 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government instruct the New South Wales Productivity Commissioner to investigate alternative infrastructure funding models, and value capture and sharing regimes as a matter of urgency.

Recommendation 8 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government identify and implement opportunities to make better use of existing planning resources including pooling of planning staff, and using smarter work practices to reduce demand for planners.

Recommendation 9 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government:

  • works with councils, stakeholders and the community to better define and promote liveability and character and how they are used in planning; and
  • ensures liveability and character become primary factors in development assessment and approval, are measured and reported on, and inform planning advocacy.

Recommendation 10 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government:

  • examine the requirements for evidence-based advocacy of planning decisions, particularly in light of the community’s concern about higher density living;
  • ensure that information is collected and published to better inform this advocacy; and
  • re-design its current advocacy methods and program accordingly.

Recommendation 11 – The Committee recommends that the New South Wales Government engage with stakeholders as a priority to identify and implement opportunities to increase the supply of affordable housing to obtain greater residential diversity in our communities.

It is usual practice for the NSW Government to provide a response to Parliament on the report’s findings and recommendations. This is due before 25 April 2019.

More information?
Copies of the report and submissions can be found on the committee webpage

The Property Council of Australia submission to the inquiry can be found here.

Any questions –  [email protected]