UDIA NSW Submission on Draft Design and Place SEPP

The Design and Place State Environmental Planning Policy (DP SEPP) is the most comprehensive reform of the NSW planning system since the unsuccessful 2013 White Paper: A new planning system for NSW. It attempts to introduce a principles-based framework to drive design and environmental outcomes across development of all scales and typologies in NSW. It will impact on strategic planning (rezoning) and development applications alike across metropolitan, infill and greenfield locations, and regional and rural locations. Attempting to provide blanket controls for the entire state of New South Wales (NSW).

UDIA has worked constructively with Government, the NSW Government Architect (GANSW) and the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) with a taskforce of members to address the major issues with the DP SEPP since the exhibition of the Explanation of Intended Effect (EIE) in February/March 2021. We commend the level of consultation that has occurred with industry and stakeholders since that period. However, the package as exhibited fails to address our major concern, being the impact on development feasibility, and will be disastrous for housing supply and delivery in NSW, adding time, cost and complexity to an already broken system. As such the DP SEPP is not supported by UDIA NSW. We are calling on the Government to cancel the policy due to its unacceptable impacts on housing supply and affordability