August data shows 3,637 dwellings were approved in NSW. Approvals are just the first step to completions, and NSW currently needs an average of 7,164 completions each month to be on track to deliver 377,000 new homes by 2029.
Property Council NSW Executive Director Katie Stevenson said the data showed further planning system reforms were essential to step up the pace to meet housing demand.
"Month after month we've seen approvals that don't match the scale of our share of the National Housing Accord target," Ms Stevenson said.
"That's why it's important Parliament now works through the detail of the Bill carefully and constructively, so the reforms land well and deliver the outcomes the people of NSW need.
"The Bill tackles the very issues holding up housing delivery - from clearing the backlog of simpler projects to unblocking complex projects that can deliver hundreds of homes and jobs. These are the common-sense reforms Property Council members have long called for."
The Bill proposes a suite of changes to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, including:
- Establishing a Development Coordination Authority to centralise and speed up agency referrals.
- Enshrining the Housing Delivery Authority in legislation.
- Introducing a Targeted Assessment Pathway for low-risk applications.
- Expanding complying development and creating a state-wide Community Participation Plan.
"These reforms will help to shift the focus from process to delivery. They will create consistency across councils, give industry greater certainty, and most importantly, help more projects get approved faster," Ms Stevenson said.
"This Bill is a key test of how serious we are about tackling the housing crisis - Parliament should progress these reforms in a bipartisan way, with the right level of consultation and scrutiny to make them effective," Ms Stevenson said.
Earlier today, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure team leading the reforms briefed Property Council members on the detail of the Bill.
"Industry has welcomed the opportunity to engage closely with government on these reforms, and ongoing consultation will be critical to making sure the Bill is workable in practice and achieves its intent of unlocking more homes," Ms Stevenson said.
