03 November 2015
The announcement by the NSW Minister for Planning that the pre-approval notification for complying development will be removed should apply across the whole state, says the Urban Taskforce.
“The delay for a complying development of 14 days while neighbours were notified raised false expectations that changes could be made,” Says Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson. “It is understandable that rural councils raised concerns about the delays to what are essentially simple projects. If an application fits the complying development rules it should be approved quickly.”
“The logic of streamlining complying development approvals in rural and regional areas must also apply in urban areas. If a proposal fits the government’s rules, which are designed to be compatible with neighbouring development, it should be approved anywhere in NSW.”
“Applicants who want to go down the merit path for a development proposal expect longer time frames and to have neighbours involved in the assessment process.”
“It is clearly good practice for an applicant to have a dialogue with neighbours but at the end of the day the applicant can have confidence that if they fit the rules they can get an approval. Applicants must still notify neighbours two days before construction starts for a complying development approval.”
“The Urban Taskforce believes more categories of buildings can be included in complying codes particularly where the building type has been through the merit assessment system multiple times and the solution has almost become a standard.”
