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ARTICLE · 18 APRIL 2013

Can the NSW planning system change its spots?

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The NSW Government released the long awaited White Paper on its proposed new planning system to reform current problems.

AustraliaReal Estate and Construction
Christine Covington
Christine Covington
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The NSW Government has released the long awaited White Paper on its proposed new planning system.

Over the last decade, NSW has slipped significantly in the housing affordability and housing release rankings against other States and Territories. The complexity of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979 has drawn criticism from developers and the community alike and has been blamed for the current State budgetary constraints, with Treasury coffers suffering from depleted stamp duty revenues over many years and proponents blaming the planning system for their decisions to move out of or avoid NSW.

There is universal acknowledgement that the system is broken and needs to be fixed and without the application of bandaids.

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