Almost 8,500 applications for developments are waiting assessment

The slowest councils for assessing DAs have been revealed. See where your council rates.

• Revealed: Slowest councils for DA approvals

Sydney councils are sitting on backlog of almost 8,500 unresolved development applications and requests for development certificates, according to NSW government data revealing for the first time which councils have the most DAs waiting for approvals.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that more than 5,000 unresolved development applications are in limbo, in addition to 3,300 active “complying development certificates”.

Five councils have more than 300 local development applications that are waiting to be finalised.

Department of Planning Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) data lists Inner West Council as the worst offender, with a whopping 456 “active” local DAs waiting for a determination.

An Inner West council spokesman said that figure was “wrong,” due to an “ongoing IT glitch”.

Developer Eddie Doueihi, who is set to leave the industry after 35 years, because of the time it takes to get developments off the ground. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Northern Beaches and Hills Shire Councils both have 363 active DAs waiting consideration, according to the DPHI data, while Cumberland has 327.

According to the Inner West Council’s figures, it too has 327 applications outstanding.

The council with the fewest outstanding DAs is Burwood, with 24 applications still “active”.

Thousands more “complying development certificates” are also adding to the backlog, despite being designed to give faster approvals to developments that meet certain requirements.

The data does not reveal how long applicants have been waiting for a decision.

Planning Minister Paul Scully’s department ranks councils from best to worst on DA approvals. Picture: NewsWire

However, a NSW government league table ranking councils’ performance on assessing DAs reveals that councils are taking more than a year to approve the kinds of homes touted as the solution to Sydney’s housing crisis.

Since July, Strathfield has assessed one application for “medium density” housing.

That application took 435 days to be assessed.

Wollondilly assessed seven “medium density” applications, which include homes like duplexes and terrace housing.

On average, the applications took 339 days to be assessed.

Builder Ammar Mendo is frustrated at how long DA's take to be processed by Liverpool Council. Picture: Richard Dobson

Across all residential applications, Georges River was the slowest council, taking 236 days on average to assess DAs.

The council where residential DAs are being approved the fastest.

For most councils, the NSW government has set an “expectation” that DAs should be assessed within 115 days.

In a statement, a Strathfield Council spokeswoman said the council has “identified practical ways for us to reach that figure whilst maintaining our commitment to quality development assessment and outcomes”.

Builder Ammar Mendo, who runs Hammer Homes in southwest Sydney, said he has been waiting for up to 400 days for simple applications to be approved.

“Some of them are as simple as an extension or a granny flat … I’ve got many examples of (applications for) granny flats taking longer than a year.”

Mr Mendo accused councils of trying to drive down their assessment times through the “loophole” of a pre-screening process.

“We get the blame for delays or councils not doing our job, and it’s hurting our business,” he said.

Mr Mendo said DAs for granny flats are routinely taking longer than a year to get approved. Picture: Richard Dobson

Developers are also copping the brunt of a sluggish planning process, with some waiting up to a decade for projects to be approved.

Edward Doueihi’s company Ceerose has poured “millions and millions of dollars down the drain” on one residential development in Leichhardt which has been stuck in the bowels of the planning system for years.

In total, he has nine projects stuck in a four-to-10 year “planning tangle,” preventing the construction of 1,000 homes.

Edward Doueihi has been waiting almost 10 years for a project in Leichhardt to get off the ground. Picture: Jonathan Ng

He said planning delays are a “major” factor making new developments “unfeasible”.

Mr Doueihi is now thinking of quitting the industry he has been in for more than three decades.

“It’s not profitable any more to open up the doors,” he said.

His company has had to lay off 80 per cent of its workers due to lengthy delays for getting projects approved.

“This is not an abstract issue – people are losing their jobs and homes every day because of our broken system.”

“After being in the industry for 35 years, my wife wants me to pack it up.”

In a bid to cut the time it takes to get a DA approved, Planning Minister Paul Scully last month called for suggestions on how to overhaul the NSW Planning Portal.

The government wants to introduce artificial intelligence tools into the planning portal to speed up the process, including by checking to see if a DA is complete before it is lodged.

“The NSW Planning Portal services millions of people, it should be using the best technological platforms available to us,” Mr Scully said.

“AI can assist planners to determine DAs much faster and that means faster approvals for housing across NSW.

“We are also looking for solutions to improve the core technology of the Planning Portal to improve user experience.”

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the time taken to assess DAs is a problem across the board.

“While we have improved processing times in the Inner West, it’s imperative that slow and bureaucratic processing be improved if we are going to really address the housing supply crisis,” he said.

“This is an immediate priority for us as it must be for every council.”

The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.