Shoalhaven City Council has launched a project aimed at streamlining and speeding up its assessment process for development applications.
The Accelerated Development Assessment (ADA) Project commenced on 7 July in partnership with City of Newcastle Council and the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
Mayor Patricia White said the project would draw on Newcastle's successful approach which had reduced development assessment times by 50 per cent.
"Thank you to the Newcastle Council planners who visited the Shoalhaven and shared their knowledge with our staff on how we can deliver excellent community outcomes and support investment in the region," Cr White said.
"The Accelerated Development Assessment Project is about identifying smarter and more efficient ways of working, reducing unnecessary delays and ensuring we can respond to development opportunities in a timely and consistent manner," she said.
"We want to better support residents, businesses and investors while maintaining the high assessment standards and planning outcomes our community expects. It's another step in Council's commitment to continuous improvement and delivering customer-focused services."
Council is already performing strongly when it comes to DA assessment times, meeting the NSW Government's statewide assessment target of 105 days in 2025-26 and the 110-day target in 2024-25.
"This project is about stepping it up a notch. We're confident that we will meet and surpass the current 2026-27 target of 90 days, which came into effect on 1 July," Cr White said.
Led by highly skilled and experienced staff, the ADA project will target greater efficiency, consistency and customer experience in the DA process.
It will review current assessment practices, workflows and systems to identify ways to streamline processes, improve coordination across teams and reduce unnecessary delays while meeting compliance requirements.
Cr White said better use of digital systems, data and technology would be explored to enable more efficient decision-making and greater transparency for applicants and the community.
"We want to set up new planning pathways for DAs. This includes new accreditation systems that align with the development industry and leverage their expertise."
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said the Accelerated Development Assessment Project reflected the kind of collaboration the NSW Government wanted to see more of across the state.
"Shoalhaven City Council is already performing strongly on assessment times, and this partnership with Newcastle will help them go further, faster," Mr Scully said.
"Sharing what works between councils is exactly how we lift standards across the system and get more homes assessed sooner, without cutting corners on quality. I congratulate Shoalhaven and Newcastle councils for driving this kind of practical, on-the-ground reform."
Shoalhaven City Council's high performance on DA assessment times was recognised and rewarded in February when the Government announced Shoalhaven as one of the regional councils eligible for a share of $67 million in funding through round one of the NSW Government's Faster Assessments Incentive Program.
The Government confirmed on Tuesday that Council had secured almost $1 million in round one funding for sporting infrastructure upgrades at Bernie Regan Sporting Complex in North Nowra and Narang Road Tennis Complex in Bomaderry.
Pictured: Staff from Newcastle and Shoalhaven councils meet in Nowra to discuss the Accelerated Development Assessment Project. From left, Alex Hunter (Newcastle), Zoran Balukoski (Shoalhaven), Debbie Sperring (Shoalhaven), Bruce Gibbs (Shoalhaven), Emma Struys (Shoalhaven), Isabella Kennedy (Newcastle), Elizabeth Bailey (Shoalhaven), Rebecca Boresch (Newcastle) and Emma Page (Shoalhaven).
