Following consultation, the Minns Labor Government has established the criteria for the Expression of Interest (EOI) for the HDA, as well as the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARS) for successful proposals.
The EOI criteria and SEARs will make sure that projects that access this new state-led approval pathway are in line with the Minns Labor Government’s housing priorities of well-located homes, close to transport, amenities and services.
The HDA has been designed to speed up the assessment of well-located major residential projects through a State Significant Development (SSD) pathway and to also offer proponents a new streamlined concurrent assessment and rezoning pathway, with neither having to be approved by councils, cutting approval times and speeding up the delivery of new homes.
Under the SSD pathway, assessment timeframes could be cut, in some cases, by more than a year.
From 8 January 2025 applicants will be able to submit an Expression of Interest to the HDA for major housing developments above approximately $60 million in Greater Sydney and $30 million in regional NSW.
The HDA will meet monthly to consider proposals against the EOI criteria and make recommendations to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces on whether to declare these proposals as SSD.
Proponents can still choose to follow the existing regionally significant development pathway assessed by councils and determined by planning panels, but the establishment of the HDA and the new SSD pathway will give them another option for major residential developments.
This new assessment pathway will reduce the number of large complex development applications councils are required to assess each year, freeing up resources for councils to assess less complex development applications.
Delivering well-located homes close to transport, jobs and community amenity has been a priority for the Minns Government, and this pathway will significantly speed up the assessment of these projects.
The HDA will include the Secretary of the Premier’s Department Simon Draper, the Secretary of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Kiersten Fishburn and the Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure NSW, Tom Gellibrand.
More information about the HDA, EOI criteria and SEARS can be found at Housing Delivery Authority | Planning
Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:
“These changes will help deliver the homes that young people, families and workers need by speeding up planning approvals and assessments for major housing developments.
“We have acted swiftly to make these latest reforms to establish the Housing Delivery Authority which represent a significant change to how we bring major housing developments to market across NSW.
“These changes are about making it easier to increase housing supply near existing infrastructure vital to supporting thriving, vibrant communities including more options for young people now and into the future.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
“Throughout the period of consultation, this reform has been welcomed with widespread acknowledgement that the HDA will speed up assessment allowing more new homes to be delivered more quickly.
“The Housing Delivery Authority will provide a consistent approval pathway for major housing projects with more rigour and less red tape.
“The Housing Delivery Authority builds on the Minns Labor Government’s recent planning reforms such as the Transport Oriented Development program, the Housing Taskforce and the International Pattern Book Design Competition.
“Councils will continue to support the state-wide commitment to increase housing supply by assessing housing developments submitted via the local and regionally significant development approval pathways.”
