CEO of the Urban Taskforce, Tom Forrest today welcomed the meeting between Premier Chris Minns and Opposition Leader, Mark Speakman and their efforts to put politics to one side and work co-operatively towards achieving bi-partisan reform to fix the broken planning system in NSW.
The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (1979) is tired, cumbersome and complex. It has now been around for 46 years and been amended many times. But worst of all, we have a crisis in housing supply.
Housing supply must be made the primary objective of the Act. While other matters are important, the feasible development and delivery of housing supply in sufficient quantity to meet demand from our growing population is the most basic of objectives.
This change alone would give a clear and simple direction to the Courts and all planning authorities that housing supply is the number one matter of concern in their deliberations and assessment.
To read the release in full, click here: