08 June 2010
In 2009-10, the DoP forecast new home construction for Sydney and the Central Coast 2009/2010 as 24,595, but according to the budget papers actual home construction was 20,924. The Sydney/Central Coast home construction in 2010/2011 is projected by the budget papers to be 24,930.
The Department says that 68 spot rezoning planning proposals have been approved through the new gateway plan-making process with an average 21 days taken for proposals to be determined. The Department of Planning originally forecast that its new LEP gateway would result in an additional dwellings potential of 20,000 homes in 2009/2010, they now say it will be 8,000 homes. They are projecting 15,000 homes for the next year.
Similarly, for employment lands, the potential approved for rezoning through the LEP gateway was a projected 500 hectares in 2009/2010, but now say it will be just 100 hectares. They are projecting 500 hectares next year.
18 regional and subregional strategies were originally to be completed, but only seven are now expected to be completed this financial year.
On the positive side annual capital investment from major projects determined by the State was projected to fall from $19 billion in 2008/2009 to just $8 billion in 2009/2010; instead it is now projected to be $18 billion, rising to $20 billion in the next financial year.
The Department of Planning says that 32 “re-prioritised” comprehensive LEPs are to be approved for exhibition in 2009/2010, and 120 are expected to be approved next year.
According to the Budget papers, the Department of Planning’s focus in 2010-2011 will be:
finalising the review of Sydney’s Metropolitan Strategy;
- continuing to streamline the planning system to deliver sustainable growth, including achieving new timeframe benchmarks for the delivery of local environmental plans and development assessment decisions and updating the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation;
- accelerating an orderly supply of land for housing and employment uses in priority areas across New South Wales, including high growth regional areas and in Western Sydney;
- accelerating the establishment of residential and commercial centres around transport hubs, allowing residents to better access employment, infrastructure and services close to their homes and further extending the state-wide code for 10-day complying development approvals to new development types, including small lots and rural areas.
The Department anticipates that an extra 10 staff will be recruited to work on “plan making and urban renewal” (from 205 to 215). They expect an extra 20 staff to work on development assessment (190 to 210).
