Media release - 19^th April, 2013

White paper to reduce delays in development applications

New homes are taking on average 64 days to assess, with home alterations taking 58 days
10% of development applications take more than five months to process – and much longer in some cases
Developments that are consistent with strict government standards will be assessed in 25 days or less
The existing 10 day complying development assessment track will be retained for smaller applications such as new homes and home extensions

After more than a decade calling on the NSW Government to slash housing development red tape, Angus Raine, CEO of leading real estate group Raine & Horne, is applauding the release on Tuesday of the white paper, ‘A new planning system for NSW’, which sets out plans to slash development applications, which meet strict standards, to 25 days or less.

“According to the white paper, the proposals include maintaining the existing ten-day complying development assessment track for smaller applications such as new homes and home extensions,” says Mr Raine.

“At present, the government estimates that new homes are taking an average of 64 days to assess, with home alterations taking 58 days.

“We all know of horror stories of development applications taking significantly longer and up to six months or more, so any proposal that can reduce the procedural speed bumps, while also addressing affordability and the investor drain to other states, has the thumbs up from me.”

Andrew Sorensen, Principal of Raine & Horne Charmhaven, agrees that any decision to cut development applications timings will kick-start demand for new homes on the Central Coast.

“Charmhaven is just 44 minutes to Wahroonga, making the region a virtual commuter belt suburb of Sydney,” says Mr Sorensen.

“So it’s a logical step to free up planning red tape to facilitate housing growth in the Wyong Shire, which in turn can help address the housing shortages in the capital.

“There are large parcels of land at The Entrance, for example, which are ripe for development, while any changes in the rules and regulations that enable people to split larger blocks would also be worth considering.

“Currently, splitting blocks is costly and the bureaucratic hoops just don’t make it worth the effort,” adds Mr Sorensen.

In Sydney’s west, Lisa Surian, Director of Raine & Horne Parramatta, says any proposal to cut planning red tape will create more choice for home buyers in the region.

“We saw the impact that changing the rules for granny flats had a few years ago, which enabled councils to approve these developments in just 10 days,” says Ms Surian.

“It’s fair to expect that any changes to the laws for building new homes and renovations will prove a boon for the Parramatta real estate market.

“To illustrate, Raine & Horne Parramatta recently sold at auction an ex- housing commission property at 19 Symonds Avenue, North Parramatta.

“The property attracted 50 groups through at the open home, with many potential buyers telling us that the council red tape involved in renovating the property was an excuse not to bid,” adds Ms Surian.

The white paper, ‘A new planning system for NSW’, is now open to community consultation and can be found at www.planning.nsw.gov.au/newplanningsystem.

-ENDS-

For further media information please contact:

Angus Raine, CEO, Raine & Horne, 0409 920 697

Raine & Horne CEO applauds decision to slash planning red tape in NSW