Statewide Community Plan Finalised
The NSW Government's new Statewide Community Participation Plan (CPP) has now commenced, replacing more than 100 individual participation plans previously adopted by councils and planning authorities across the state. The reform is intended to create greater consistency in how communities are informed of and engaged in planning decisions, while providing a standardised framework for exhibition and consultation requirements.
Key changes include:
A legislated 60-day minimum exhibition period for draft district plans, regional plans and local strategic planning statements.
Existing minimum exhibition periods for development applications and other planning matters remain unchanged, with councils and planning authorities retaining the ability to extend consultation timeframes where a proposal is larger, more complex or likely to generate significant community interest.
An expanded list of lower-impact development types that will no longer require public exhibition, reducing consultation requirements for certain forms of development.
While the Statewide CPP delivers a more uniform approach to community engagement across NSW, questions remain as to whether this consistency will translate into improved outcomes for local communities. Aside from extending exhibition periods for key strategic planning documents, the most significant practical change is the removal of exhibition requirements for a broader range of lower-impact developments. Although this may assist in streamlining assessment processes and reducing administrative burden, it may also limit opportunities for communities to provide feedback on some proposals that directly affect their local area.
The Plan is intended to be monitored and refined over time; however, it remains unclear how the effectiveness of the new framework will be measured. With more than 100 locally tailored participation plans now replaced by a single statewide approach, the success of the reform will ultimately depend on whether it can balance consistency and efficiency with meaningful community involvement. How planning authorities track participation levels, community satisfaction and planning outcomes will be critical in determining whether the new framework delivers a genuine improvement on the system it replaces.
For more information, visit https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/the-planning-system/environmental-planning-and-assessment-act-1979/community-participation-plans