The Development Coordination Authority Commences

On 1 July 2026, the Development Coordination Authority (DCA) officially commenced, introducing significant changes to how State agencies provide input into the development assessment process across NSW.

Established within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI), the DCA becomes the central coordination authority for State referrals, providing a more coordinated approach to referrals, concurrences and technical advice across a range of planning pathways.

Key changes include:

• Centralised State coordination – The DCA now coordinates State referrals, concurrences and General Terms of Approval (GTAs), replacing separate agency responses with a single coordinated State response.

• New referral framework for local DAs – Referral, concurrence and consultation requirements have been consolidated into a single framework, with a mandatory 2-day referral validation check before applicable local development applications are formally referred to the DCA.

• New statutory timeframes – A standard 28-day referral timeframe now applies across most referral types, providing greater consistency in the assessment process.

• Expanded technical advisory role – The DCA will progressively deliver coordinated technical advice across local DAs, State Significant Development, planning proposals and State-assessed rezonings, with all in-house advisory streams expected to be operational by October 2026.

These reforms represent a significant change to NSW's planning system and will impact how councils, applicants and planning professionals engage with State agencies throughout the assessment process.

If you require advice on how the commencement of the DCA may impact your project, contact the Keylan team at admin@keylan.com.au.