Thursday 19 February 2026

NSW is undergoing the most significant transformation of its planning system in more than four decades, with the Planning System Reforms Act 2025 now in effect and implementation rolling out through 2026, developers, planners, and councils are seeing major changes to how, and how fast, applications are assessed. The reform agenda provides a clearer, faster, fairer, and more predictable decision‑making process.

BUT not without a catch!

Behind the promise of faster assessments sits a fundamental shift in how councils and State agencies are approaching applications and their development quality, completeness, and compliance.

What we’re seeing already is…

There is now almost zero tolerance for incomplete applications, this means sub-consultant reports are non-negotiable. Councils are becoming far more rigid in their interpretation of what “adequate information” means. The reforms emphasise streamlined assessment, but that efficiency is only possible when applications arrive fully formed, supported, and logically justified.

Scaling non‑compliances is more critical than ever! Minor departures that once may have slipped through on merit are now scrutinised early. Councils are far less willing to carry unresolved issues into assessment, because doing so risks missing the tightened internal timeframes now expected of them.

Request for Information (RFI) periods have been drastically shortened, and extensions are rarely granted where the key issues result from avoidable early stage application resolution. Where councils previously allowed reasonable flexibility, they are now operating within a stricter procedural framework, leaving little room to negotiate timeframes, especially when additional reports or significant design amendments are required.

This is where many applicants will feel the pressure. A faster system benefits everyone, but only if the work is done upfront. The reforms have effectively shifted more responsibility onto applicants, planners, architects, and consultants to ensure applications are DA‑ready before they even hit the portal.

So, What benefits do these timeframes actually mean for Applicants?

Clearer and more enforceable timeframes. State agencies now operate under fixed statutory timelines, and more development pathways include targeted, predictable assessment durations.

Significantly reduced delays from Multi‑Agency Referrals. Under the new Development Coordination Authority (DCA), all State agency inputs must be provided within 28 days, replacing what was previously a system where each referral could add 60–100 days to an assessment.

Faster Pathways for Major Projects. High‑value residential projects can move significantly faster through the Housing Delivery Authority’s (HDA) State Significant Development (SSD) pathway, with the first project already approved within just seven months.

Higher Fees in Exchange for Greater Certainty. Specialist referral fees have increased, but the government’s position is that faster assessments and reduced holding costs balance out the financial impost.

Why This Matters?

For applicants, this means:

• More planning work must happen before lodgement, not during assessment.
• High risk non‑compliances must be minimised.
• Sub-consultant documentation must be comprehensive, consistent, and complete.
• Design changes after lodgement now carry high risk.
• Project teams need to be aligned early, with no missing inputs.

Where the old system allowed some give‑and‑take, the new system rewards preparation. Because of this early stage engagement and feasibility assessments are essential.

Ultimately, if you’re involved in the industry, educating clients, consultants and project managers to ensure there is a collective understanding of these new timelines and the pathways shaping them is essential to forecasting feasibility, managing client expectations, and avoiding costly delays.