Minister’s approvals threat: 15 problem councils given a deadline to fix DA targets

Fifteen Sydney councils failing to meet DA targets have been given a deadline to pick up their game, as new data reveals how far NSW is away from meeting its housing targets. See the list of worst offenders.

Fifteen Sydney councils failing to meet development application assessment targets have finally been given a deadline to pick up their game, as new data revealed NSW needs to double monthly approvals to come close to meeting housing targets.

Planning Minister Paul ­Scully has now given problem councils a “four to six-month” time frame to avoid sanctions, more than a year after first threatening to step in.

Housing data released by the Bureau of Statistics on Monday revealed approvals for new homes in NSW increased by 35 per cent in October compared to the month before, but that figure is still far below what is required to meet our housing targets.

The new ABS data, came off the back of a horror month, meaning total approvals were down in the three months to October compared to the preceding three.

In the 12 months to October, only 42,073 new homes were approved – less than half of what is needed to meet our targets under the housing accord.

Planning Minister Paul ­Scully and Urban Taskforce CEO Tom Forrest say council DA approval times are too slow, with the minister giving problem councils a “four to six-month” time frame to get up to speed.

Approvals drove the month-on-month spike from September to October, but the trend for new housing approvals has flatlined.

Urban Taskforce CEO Tom Forrest said despite approvals “modestly improving” in October, total numbers “are still way below what is required”.

To start hitting the commencements and completions required to meet our housing targets, monthly approvals would need to almost double.

Mr Forrest said that reforms – like a powerful three-person body to tick or flick major ­approvals, announced at The Daily Telegraph’s Bradfield Oration – are beginning to have an impact on supply.

“The big question is: will they be enough?”

Mr Scully said October’s ­approval numbers were a ­“welcome increase” but warned numbers could be kept low while interest rates and construction costs remained high.

It came as Mr Scully revealed councils not assessing DAs quickly enough had been given four months to shape up.

Georges River Council is one of the councils failing to meet expectations for development application assessments, with a 115-day assessment window. Picture: Google Maps

It comes after the state government imposed “expectations” for how quickly councils should approve new homes.

So far this financial year, ­Georges River is furthest ­behind the 115-day assessment window.

It was followed by Sutherland, Strathfield, Willoughby, Burwood, and Canada Bay.

Of those failing to meet expectations, Waverley is closest to hitting targets.

“Anyone who’s not meeting their expectations is on the watch list,” Mr Scully said.

The Planning Minister has repeatedly threatened underperforming councils with intervention, including a “planning improvement order”, which would be imposed by the Local Government Minister.

However, Mr Scully has so far failed to impose any sanctions or reveal how long councils have to pull up their socks.

“A reasonable time period for them to start looking at their own house and making improvements would be about four to six months,” he said.