Waverley mayor’s housing plan: approve if delayed, not deny

The new mayor of the historically NIMBY council of Waverley is calling on major reforms to the NSW planning act to speed up housing approvals.

Pictured is Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh.

The new mayor of the historically NIMBY council of Waverley is calling for major reforms to the NSW planning act to speed up housing approvals.

In a mayoral minute to be submitted to Waverley council on Tuesday, Liberal mayor Will Nemesh will call for an end to the excessive referral of minor developments, like pools and pergolas, to drawn out planning panels.

Mr Nemesh said there has been a concerning increase in minor developments referred to lengthy planning panels due to “arbitrary triggers”, stripping councils from making “commonsense” decisions.

One such example is a Dover Heights home on Blake Street that has had a simple DA for small pergola sent to a planning panel because it received more than 20 public submissions.

He will also suggest creating a framework for deemed approvals rather than deemed refusals. Under the current system, if a council or planning panel does not make a decision regarding a development within a certain time frame, it is automatically considered refused thereby allowing the developer to appeal in court.

Under the proposal, any development not assessed within a given time frame would instead be automatically approved.

“We need immediate and wide-ranging reform to our planning system,” Mr Nemesh said

“Our current planning system has become bloated with bureaucratic complexities and over regulation which has stifled housing supply and infrastructure delivery.”

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh

Further, Mr Nemesh will suggest reducing the amount of documentation required by developers at the DA stage, instead deferring it to the construction certificate stage, before the building gets underway.

Another development in Vaucluse for 30 units at 669-683 Old South Head Road was required to submit six different reports to satisfy the same planning clause 4.6, adding significantly to the cost of the project.

This comes after The Daily Telegraph reported in December that a bipartisan push was underway to reform the state’s broken 45-year-old planning act, in order to get more homes off the ground.

Both the Minns Labor government and the Coalition have been working towards bipartisan reform of the Environmental Planning and Assessment (EP & A) act, acknowledging it is no longer fit for purpose.

As part of the reform, Planning Minister Paul Scully is considering expanding ‘complying development certificates’, which allow straightforward renovation and building works to proceed without a DA if they tick all the right boxes.

Planning Minister Paul Scully said further reform to the planning act was on the way. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

In response to the suggestions from Mr Nemesh, Mr Scully said further reform was on the way.

“I hope that the Mayor has as much enthusiasm for local planning reform as he does for state government reform,” he said.

“We have met with the Opposition, and the conversations have reflected their commitment to bipartisanship, and I hope that continues all the way to consideration in the parliament.”

The development sector also is in support of suggestions to establish a framework for deemed approvals.

Urban Taskforce chief executive Tom Forrest said the initiatives proposed by Mr Nemesh are “strongly supported by industry”.

“The key though will be to get bipartisan support in the state parliament.

“The Liberal Party have strongly opposed pro-housing initiatives in Woollahra and it’s time they got on board.”

Liberal Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane, who has previously been accused of resisting more high density development in her electorate, said she was “encouraged” at the Waverley mayor’s suggestions “aimed at cutting red tape and delays”.

“It’s important we make it easier to deliver good housing outcomes while ensuring our community remains well-informed and involved,” she said.

Originally published as Waverley mayor’s housing plan: approve if delayed, not deny