Good urban planning takes time and requires extensive input and participation from community. The people who live there, work there, or who have significant connections to the area know their neighbourhood best, and how to plan for an inclusive and diverse neighbourhood that supports its economy and the health and wellbeing of its residents. 

Last month, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) exhibited proposed changes to the Community Participation Plan (CPP) for residential State Significant Development (SSD). An amendment to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) passed in May removed the minimum exhibition requirements for residential SSD, delegating that responsibility to the Planning Secretary. The Secretary has proposed a reduction of the minimum exhibition period from 28 days to 14 days for residential SSD, with the intent to allow for meaningful feedback while accelerating the delivery of housing.  

At Shelter NSW, we are acutely conscious of the need to rapidly deliver more housing – not general, untargeted, ‘hope for the best’ supply – but supply of well designed, adequate, genuinely affordable and social housing that can serve its community. While we are overall supportive of Sydney becoming a denser city, with more housing available to people near where they live, work, and play, it must be well thought, planned, and designed. The existence of the residential SSD pathway denotes the complexity and significance of these projects. It is crucial that co-design and meaningful consultation are at the forefront of these developments to ensure that community voices are heard and the best possible outcomes are achieved. 

Shelter NSW is concerned that in efforts to streamline the development process of residential State Significant Development (SSD), the proposed community participation plan (CPP) of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) is moving away from its initial objectives; being ‘open and inclusive’ and ‘easy to access.’ The current 28-day minimum already proves difficult for councils and planning professionals, let alone local advocates and community stakeholders.  

Reducing community consultation in the hope of expediting approval and development processes is not a good policy. When community consultation is seen as an annoyance or a box to tick, planners and policy makers miss out on the lived expertise of residents, and they are more likely to plan and design amenities that are not truly needed, or worse, that have a negative impact on the community. And little time, if any will be saved, once you factor in the significant time wasted when the local community is antagonised, leading to time and resources costly debates and court processes. 

We have recommended that the current consultation period of 28 days is maintained, with additional requirements to make the process inclusive and easy to access, in particular for people and communities facing various forms of disadvantage. 

Read Shelter NSW full submission on our website.