Shellharbour City Council is proud to celebrate a big milestone in its commitment to efficient and responsive development application (DA) processing, which has also earned state recognition at the Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Awards.
During the 2024-2025 reporting period, the DA Assessment Team processed applications in an average of just 73 days. This marks a significant improvement from previous years and well below the NSW Government benchmark of 111 days.
Caption: Shellharbour Council's DA Assessment Team at the LGNSW Awards. Image courtesy of Shellharbour City Council
This result reflects the team's hard work in making the process quicker and easier for the community. It also builds on earlier progress reported in March, when the team had already reduced average processing times to 80 days.
Council's strong performance last financial year has carried over into the current financial year. In July, Council assessed 58 applications worth more than $56 million and in an average of just 52 days.
Key factors in the faster turnaround have included:
- A new Accelerated Assessment Team to handle simpler applications faster
- A 'clearing house' system to check applications early and avoid delays
- Increased proactive engagement, including more meetings with developers to build trust and collaborate
Mayor Chris Homer praised the team's efforts, highlighting the real impact it has on the community.
"This is a fantastic result for our city. It shows what can be achieved when a team is focused, passionate and committed to making things better for our community. Faster approvals mean less waiting, more certainty, and homes and businesses getting off the ground," Mayor Homer said.
Council was recently recognised at a state level as a finalist for the LGNSW Planning Award as part of Local Government Week 2025. These awards celebrate councils that do an excellent job in planning and development. Shellharbour's nomination acknowledges the continued efforts to improve service, work better with developers, and help the community.
Council's strong foundation for enhancing performance in innovative process improvements within the Development Application area is clearly reflected in previous years through the Development Application Strategy. That strategy, recognised with a Highly Commended award in the 2021 LGNSW Culture Change Innovation and Excellence category, focused on strengthening customer experience and creating a more responsive planning service.
To learn more about the DA process or check the progress of your application, visit https://www.shellharbour.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-build.
KEY MESSAGES:
• Shellharbour City Council processed development applications in an average of 73 days in 2024-2025, well below the NSW Government benchmark of 111 days.
• Faster DA approvals provide more certainty for residents and developers, helping projects start sooner and boosting local investment.
• Shellharbour's approach to improving efficiency and engagement has been recognised with a nomination for a Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Planning Award.
