{"id":21544,"date":"2023-06-27T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=21544"},"modified":"2023-06-27T12:00:36","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T12:00:36","slug":"more-planning-resources-to-focus-on-delivery-of-new-houses-and-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2023\/06\/27\/more-planning-resources-to-focus-on-delivery-of-new-houses-and-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"More planning resources to focus on delivery of new houses and infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The NSW Government today took another firm step towards a stronger, more efficient and more streamlined NSW planning system focused on the delivery of more housing, jobs, and infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Almost 350 staff from the Greater Cities Commission (GCC) and Western Parklands City Authority (WPCA) will be redeployed into the Department of Planning and Environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transfer will reduce the overlap and duplication between agencies and redirect valuable but limited resources to bolster planning delivery against the Government\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move puts the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) in a much better position to focus on the job of overhauling the planning process and cutting red tape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The previous Government left us with a planning system that included too many agencies reporting to too many ministers. It was a system that, put simply, wasn\u2019t delivering enough housing for people in NSW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NSW will require approximately 900,000 additional dwellings by 2041. Yet we have a projected housing construction shortfall of 134,000 dwellings over the five years of the National Housing Accord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning processing times had blown out from 69 days on average in July 2021 to 116 days in March 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NSW Productivity Commission has noted NSW builds fewer homes compared to other states, and this is a direct cause for why housing in NSW costs more than it does anywhere else in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need more supply in places people want to live and work, located near to the services people need if we have any chance of meeting our State\u2019s, and particularly Sydney\u2019s, housing demands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The GCC Commissioners will continue to assist with metropolitan planning for the Six Cities Region and provision of advice to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DPE Acting Secretary Kiersten Fishburn will now work with the Commissioners and they will finalise draft housing targets and the six City Plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This work will embed the new Government\u2019s rebalancing of population and housing growth for all 43 local councils and deliver on our commitments required under the National Housing Accord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WPCA Board will continue to set the direction for the building of Bradfield City and for economic development and investment attraction to the Western Parklands City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both GCC and WPCA Chief Executive Officers will now report to the DPE Secretary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NSW Government has an ambitious agenda to reform planning and boost housing supply. We have already announced the following changes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n