One of the top three priorities that I had set at the start of my 12 months as Mayor was to streamline the Development Assessment process so that homeowners could have greater certainty about when they can move back in. This was formalised as part of the General Manager’s performance agreement for FY25 (after resistance to suggestions under previous leadership). The Planning Minister’s Statement of Expectations also helped to add weight to the initiative.
Under our new General Manager, we commenced a service review of the Development Assessment process and from what I understand this review will finish in the next few months. Having said that, our staff have identified some quick wins and you can start to see the impact – and this is even before we have implemented the recommendations of the review.
There will be some constraints to how low we can go … Development compliance obligations in NSW have become increasingly complex over time, and with a limited budget we are regularly competing with the Private sector as well as the State for talented staff to do the work. But I am optimistic that we can get to a better future for our residents, and look forward to reading the findings and recommendations of the service review.
