Perhaps the NSW Government is finally beginning to understand how much the state’s bloated planning system needs to change.
Planning was undoubtedly the biggest reform area in the Premier’s Jobs Summit response last week. The Government has now committed itself to creating Australia’s best planning system from what most would acknowledge to be the country’s worst.
To do this the Government has accepted the Property Council’s argument that it has to go further than Frank Sartor’s reforms last year (large parts of which are still being implemented).
The big new reform areas Premier Rees announced were:
- ‘go to’ project coordinators to cut through state government red tape
- a rationalisation of state agency concurrences
- rapid rezoning for strategic centres
- an audit of existing unresolved projects now with state government.
Of course talk has to be converted to walk, and the shape of the state concurrences and centres rezoning reforms are yet to be determined. But these are clearly the right areas to target.
There is now a substantial planning reform agenda being designed and implemented in NSW. Joint Regional Planning Panels will commence in July to depoliticise decision making. Complying codes are being developed to give a ten day turn around for routine projects. The much rorted ‘stop the clock’ provisions for never-ending requests for new studies will be switched off. Levies have been lowered.
Now these further reforms are on the agenda.
Will it all work? It’s certainly worth a shot.
For more information on the planning reforms, click here.
Have your say!
Ken Morrison |
Wednesday, 8 April 2009 12:07 PM |
One Comment
