Trashing planning principles

The NSW Government’s proposed reforms of biodiversity legislation are predicted to have a serious impact on housing supply and affordability.

The Property Council’s recent submission identified these strategic consequences of the proposed changes:

• Subordinating the significant social and economic benefits that result from the use of land to environmental considerations.
• A new wide power to require offsets in any development consent condition.
• Introducing mandatory refusal at the discretion of a local council.
• Requiring full offsetting for urban development at a development application stage. 
• Allowing double dipping by consent authorities, ie. fully offsetting impacts will not prevent those issues affecting a merit assessment of a development application.
• Duplication between a species impact statement and a biodiversity development assessment report.

The Property Council is now preparing a submission to OEH on the proposed Biodiversity Offsets Payment Calculator and is seeking industry feedback.

Further background information is available by referencing the User Manual and stakeholder presentation.

To ensure your voice is heard, please email your feedback to [email protected]