MidCoast Council has had the highest number of development applications lodged in regional NSW, with the biggest development value, at $392,358,034 in the October to December quarter.
In good news for the local economy and those looking to enter the housing market, development is still strong in the MidCoast.
Between 1 October 2025 and 31 December 2025, Council received 1,521 individual customer requests.
During this period, Council assessed more applications than any other Regional NSW Council, at 469 applications. Decisions have been made on 278 development applications or modifications.
The average time Council took to make a decision was 80 days. This meets State Government expectations and compares well against other large Regional Councils, which average 83 days.
Executive Manager Sustainable Development, Rachel Pleasant acknowledged that further work is required to reduce development assessment times, which would have a direct benefit for the MidCoast economy.
Before a new development application can be considered official in the NSW Planning Portal, Council must do an initial review. At an average of 10 days, the time Council takes to do this check is consistent with the average for Regional Councils; however, it doesn't meet the State's expectation of seven days.
"Council's building development and advisory team have further streamlined the application review process," said Ms Pleasant.
"We achieved a seven-day review timeframe in the month of December 2025, and we're confident our review period will soon consistently meet the State's expectations."
