New Rezoning Review Process

The Minister of Planning introduced a new Rezoning Review process on 1 September 2016. NSW’s new Rezoning Review is designed to stop amendments being made to proposals at the review stage, which slows down the process, wasting time and resources.

The new Rezoning Review aims to provide a more structured, faster planning review process with greater independence, to stop rezoning applications being endlessly reviewed. Under the new scheme, applicants will be able to seek independent review of council decisions on proposed rezonings.

Reforms for the new process include:

• Strengthening the test for the review of an existing zoning to ensure rezonings only proceed where they exhibit clear strategic merit;
• Review requests to the Department of Planning will be referred to Joint Regional Planning Panels or the Planning Assessment Commission within three days;
• Ensuring the council is aware a rezoning request has been sent to the Department within five days of receipt;
• Increasing the independence of the process by the Panel or the Commission, carrying out the assessment and determine the rezoning; and
• Making the Panel or Commission the Relevant Planning Authority where a council refuses a request to act as the Relevant Planning Authority, or does not respond to that request within 42 days.

The new Rezoning Review evolved from a place of concerns about unexpected rezoning undermining the community’s confidence in local planning. The Rezoning Review is intended to replace the existing pre-Gateway review.

For more information on how the new Rezoning Review affects you or your project, please contact EPS Principal Steve McCall.