Getting NSW Back on Track
28 April 2020 (Sydney, Australia) — UDIA NSW welcomes today’s announcement from NSW Government to create opportunities for more than 30,000 construction jobs by September 2020. At UDIA NSW’s event today, Minister for Planning Rob Stokes announced that new projects will be prioritised as part of the Planning System Acceleration Program.
“Restocking the housing pipeline is critical to ensure that we continue to have shovel-ready projects to keep delivering through the crisis,” said Steve Mann, chief executive, Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) NSW.
The Government has announced criteria to assess the projects on the basis of:
- Jobs delivery
- Timing (shovel-readiness)
- Public Benefit
“UDIA NSW has welcomed the release of the criteria, which will help provide transparency to industry and alleviate any concerns in the community that the assessment process will be compromised by this acceleration.”
“It is clear the NSW Government is taking steps to improve efficiency and make the right decision faster.
However, Mr Mann warned “with a sustained backlog of development approvals the focus must be on getting a diverse range of projects approved quickly rather than creating more red tape for the system.”
“We are confident this new prioritisation process will accelerate development approvals in line with community expectations, while delivering a much-needed pipeline of housing supply and infrastructure.”
This follows the Government’s announcement of a further low-cost $250 million in TCorp Loans to kick-start community infrastructure projects, which UDIA NSW hopes will help unlock the $2.6 billion in section 7.11 contributions in Council Bank Accounts.
ENDS
Media contact: Mia Kwok 0435 361 697 media@udiansw.com.au
Download PDF version here 28.04.2020 Media Release – Getting NSW back on track