Archived News
11 August 2014
The Australian and NSW Governments have announce the shortlist of 3 consortia selected to tender for the design and construction of the M4 East:
- Future Connect Joint Venture with Acciona Infrastructure Australia, Obayashi Corporation, McConnell Dowell Constructors (Aust) Pty Ltd and Ghella Pty Ltd
- Lend Lease Bouygues Joint Venture with Lend Lease Engineering Pty Ltd and Bouygues Construction Australia
- Thiess Samsung John Holland Joint Venture with Thiess, Samsung C&T Corporation and John Holland.
6 August 2014
The Building Professionals Board is seeking feedback about a proposal to introduce a new category (E1) of accredited certifiers for swimming pools in NSW.
1 August 2014
- Three stations (Showground Station, Bella Vista Station and Kellyville Station) along the future North West Rail Link have been declared as Urban Activation Precincts by the NSW Department of Planning & Environment.
- NSW Department of Planning & Environment‘s ePlanning is live.
28 July 2014
Former Deputy DG of Transport NSW, Carolyn McNally has been appointed the Secretary of the Department of Planning and Environment.
25 July 2014
- Minister for Transport has agreed to include the Kingsford Market site in the Development Agreement with Randwick Council as part of the CBD / SE Light Rail project.
- The updated Newcastle Local Environment Plan (LEP) and Development Control Plan (DCP) have received final planning approval.
17 July 2014
NSW Government will host an international summit in late 2014, to hear from world leading urban renewal experts about the best ways to revitalise more than 5.5 kilometres of waterfront land in Sydney’s inner harbour known as The Bays Precinct as part of the city’s largest single urban renewal program since the Sydney Olympics.
11 July 2014
The independent review into Ashfield Local Environmental Plan’s Heritage Items & Heritage Conservation Areas has been finalised, and the report by the review panel released by the Minister for Planning.
3 July 2014
A new 65-space car park will be built at Gosford Station as part of the $770 million Transport Access Program.
2 July 2014
The Sydney, Newcastle and Port Kembla Port Corporations have been amalgamated to form the new Port Authority of New South Wales. More information at Transport for NSW.
1 July 2014
- The NSW Government appointed an independent panel to review Sutherland Shire Council’s draft Local Environmental Plan (LEP) in response to the large number of community concerns about the draft LEP. More information at Department of Planning & Environment.
- The Department of Planning & Environment has finalised the rezoning for the 18 hectare Wentworth Point Urban Activation Precinct.
- Public feedback is being invited on a draft rezoning proposal for the Herring Road UAP (Macquarie Park in Ryde) until 10 August 2014.
- Laing O’Rourke Construction Australia has been appointed as Managing Contractor to carry out up to $45 million worth of essential early works on the $1.6 billion CBD and South East Light Rail project.
25 June 2014
- The NSW Department of Planning & Environment is seeking feedback on two new mining development applications for Rio Tinto’s Mt Thorley and Warkworth operations, near Bulga in the Upper Hunter, which is on public exhibition for six weeks until Wednesday 6 August.
- Randwick City Council have rejected a light rail Development Agreement with Transport for NSW in its current form.
23 June 2014
The concept proposal & Stage 1 site clearing for the new Northern Beaches Hospital has been given Planning approval by the Department of Planning & Environment. Construction is expected to begin next year, and the hospital opening in 2018.
19 June 2014
New laws making it easier to clear trees and vegetation from around a property have been passed giving residents in designated bushfire-prone areas additional powers to protect their homes. More information at Department of Planning & Infrastructure.
18 June 2014
- The NSW Government will continue to support the delivery of homes and jobs close to transport infrastructure with a $1.18 billion commitment to the Planning & Environment cluster in the NSW 2014-15 Budget.
- The NSW Government today announced work has officially started on the Skytrain and new Kellyville railway station, as part of the $8.3 billion North West Rail Link project.
17 June 2014
- The NSW Government will set aside $400 million from its major infrastructure fund, Restart NSW, to accelerate work on a Western Sydney light rail system from Parramatta. More information at Transport NSW.
- The City of Sydney’s design competition for the Green Square Aquatic Centre and neighbouring Gunyama Park is down to five Australian finalists from a shortlist of 144 local & international entries.
- The City of Sydney Council will trial light-coloured pavement in Chippendale to test if the ambient temperatures can be reduced.
16 June 2014
Cristal Mining’s application to construct and operate the new $200M Atlas-Campaspe Mineral Sands Project in Balranald Shire which will extract 109M tonnes of mineral sands ore at an extraction rate of 7.2 tonnes a year over 20 years and producing $95M in state royalties, has been approved by the NSW Department of Planning & Environment.
14 June 2014
A planning proposal by Port Stephens Council to rezone 620 hectares of rural land for urban development at Wallalong has been rejected by Department of Planning & Environment.
12 June 2014
Sydney will have another landmark development featuring the city's tallest residential tower and an Australian-first, $25 million and 2000sqm state-of-the-art creative hub in the heart of the Sydney CBD following an agreement between the City of Sydney Council and property developer Greenland Australia. More information at City of Sydney Council.
11 June 2014
Land for a further 6,600 new homes in 3 Western Sydney suburbs (Marsden Park North, Redbank in Richmond, and Ashlar in Blacktown), close to transport links and infrastructure, has been rezoned or released for precinct planning. More information at Department of Planning & Infrastructure.
10 June 2014
- The WestConnex Delivery Authority (WDA) is calling for expressions of interest for an independent Certifier for certification of the design and construction work for the M4 Widening. The contract will be awarded in late 2014. More information at WestConnex.
- Willoughby City Council's Draft Street Parking Strategy is currently on public exhibition until 31 July 2014. Have your say at Willoughby City Council.
- North Sydney Council's Draft Education Precinct Public Domain Master Plan is currently on public exhibition until 2 July 2014. Have your say at North Sydney Council.
6 June 2014
NSW State Government will create a new agency (Greater Sydney Commission) to oversee and deliver major infrastructure and urban planning priorities. More information at Department of Planning & Infrastructure.
4 June 2014
- North Sydney Council's Draft Asbestos Policy is on public exhibition until 27 June 2014. Have your say at North Sydney Council.
- The Newcastle Light Rail route has been announced and will be a hybrid option including the rail corridor and Hunter Street. More information at UrbanGrowth NSW.
- Dennis Cliche, the current CEO of ConnectEast in Victoria will officially take over as Chief Executive Officer of WestConnex on 11 August. More information at WestConnex.
- Formal Planning approval have been given for the $1.6 billion new CBD and South East Light Rail project. More information at Sydney Light Rail.
3 June 2014
North Sydney Council's Draft Integrated Traffic and Parking Strategy is currently on public exhibition until 13 July 2014. Have your say at North Sydney Council.
28 May 2014
Everyone can now calculate how long their journeys will take when the Sydney Light Rail is fully operational in approximately 5-6 years.
27 May 2014
Changes to bushfire planning regulations to streamline bushfire assessments will commence on Friday 30 May 2014 and apply to urban release areas in 40 NSW local government areas. More information at Department of Planning & Infrastructure.
24 May 2014
The international tender to build the M4 East section of WestConnex (Stage One) is now open until 25 June. The successful tenderer for the multi-billion dollar contract will be announced by mid-2015. The M4 East is expected to be open to traffic by early 2019. More information at WestConnex.
23 May 2014
The first three stages of the $1 billion-plus urban renewal project known as Darling Square, at the southern end of Darling Harbour has been approved. More information at Department of Planning & Infrastructure.
21 May 2014
Redevelopment of IMAX site in Darling Harbour has been re-exhibited, from 21 May – 4 June 2014. More information at Department of Planning & Infrastructure.
20 May 2014
The Registration of Interest (ROI) for Tenant and Uses Identification in Central Barangaroo is now open. The Barangaroo Delivery Authority (BDA) is seeking submissions from organisations / businesses that may wish to be located in Central Barangaroo. More information at Barangaroo Delivery Authority.
18 May 2014
The Interim Report by Parsons Brinckerhoff on the Review of Northern Councils Environmental Zone is on public exhibition until 5 June. The review applies to E2 Environmental Conservation, E3 Environmental Management and E4 Environmental Living zones in the Ballina, Byron, Lismore, Tweed and Kyogle local government areas. More information at Department of Planning & Infrastructure.
11 May 2014
The new Minister for Planning Pru Goward said that the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistic, which shows that 51,000 new homes were approved in NSW in the last 12 months to March 2014 - the highest approval level since 2003, confirms that the NSW Government Planning Policies to support the housing industry, first homebuyers, and the NSW economy are working. More information at Department of Planning & Infrastructure.
7 May 2014
The Barangaroo site could double in size if 2 proposed (but not yet public) modifications are approved by the NSW State Government which is the approval authority, and also the owner / developer of the site. The modifications 8 & 9 could take the total floor space to 681,000 square metres from 330,000 square metres in the 2005 concept design.
2 May 2014
Briefing sessions are being held specifically for developers interested in submitting a response to the Central Barangaroo Development EOI in the capacity of a lead developer role. More information at Barangaroo Delivery Authority.
1 May 2014
The National Construction Code (NCC) 2014 commences today & comprises the Building Code of Australia (Volumes One and Two) and the Plumbing Code of Australia (Volume Three). Some of the key changes to the BCA include:
- Changes to how slip resistance is measured on ramps, stairways and landings.
- New provisions relating to the use of luminescent exit signs.
- New provisions requiring smoke alarms in residential buildings to be interconnected.
- Changes to the requirements for fire hose reels and portable fire extinguishers in certain residential buildings.
30 April 2014
Randwick City Council has endorsed a $68M ‘Light Rail Support Plan to help local residents and businesses affected by the incidental loss of car parking, removal of trees and changes to traffic flow as a result of the State Government’s proposed introduction of the $1.6B light rail project from Circular Quay to Randwick and Kingsford. More information about this at Randwick City Council.
24 April 2014
NSW Planning & Infrastructure Director-General Sam Haddad has lost his position as part of the setting up a new principal Department of Planning & Environment. Sam has been the in the top position for 9 years, and for many more years in various positions within the Department.
15 April 2014
The City of Sydney Council has had strong support from the community in response to its recent Green Roofs & Walls Policy, which is the first of its kind in Australia and reflects an international trend towards green spaces in urban centres. Currently the city has around 83 green roofs in place and a further 50 approved for construction. More information at the City of Sydney Council website.
8 April 2014
Planning & Infrastructure Minister, Brad Hazzard has unveiled the urban renewal project for Parramatta North, with Urban Growth NSW leading the development of the Master Plan for the heritage precinct.
4 April 2014
Work has resumed at Barangaroo South following the large fire in the south eastern corner of the site last month. More information about this at Barangaroo Delivery Authority website.
2 April 2014
4442 homes were approved in February, and the last 12 months being the best since July 2004 with 49,236 new homes approved in NSW. More information at the Department of Planning and Infrastructure.
25 Mar 2014
88 brand new affordable housing units will be completed later this year in North Eveleigh, which is part of the. Central to Eveleigh urban renewal precinct. The project worth approximately $33 million. More details about this and the Central to Eveleigh urban renewal precinct here.
21 Mar 2014
A small fire which reignited in the basement of the Barangaroo site today has been extinguished. Its been only little over week since a large blaze on the construction site caused traffic gridlock across Sydney CBD and threatened to bring down a multi-storey crane. NSW Fire has indicated that the reignition of such a fire was a common occurrence. Sydney Water is investigating a possible gas leak in the vicinity of the site.
Although Lend Lease would not speculate on the exact length of time that these incidents would delay the Barangaroo project; it strongly discounted predictions expert opinions that it could be several months.
19 Mar 2014
A proposal to rezone land at Warriewood has been rejected by the Planning Director-General, following advice from the JRPP. The proposal was developed jointly with Pittwater Council and was endorsed by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure in May 2013. More on this here.
14 Mar 2014
Health Infrastructure has responded to the public submissions (inter alia, the biodiversity and traffic issues) on its proposal for Northern Beaches Hospital. Read the Preferred Infrastructure Report.
As a result of feedback on traffic issues, Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) is proposing major upgrades to roads around the hospital site, through a staged infrastructure application for state significant infrastructure (SSI). The Department will issue details that RMS will need to address in preparing its environmental impact statement (EIS). The EIS will be publicly exhibited.
13 Mar 2014
The Roads Minister has announced a shortlist of preferred contractors to build the first section of WestConnex. The WestConnex Delivery Authority (WDA) has reduced the list from 6 to 4:
• Lend Lease Engineering;
• McConnell Dowell OHL joint venture;
• Rizzani De Eccher Leighton joint venture; and
• Thiess
The project involves widening the M4 between Church Street, Parramatta and Homebush Bay Drive from three to four lanes in each direction. The environmental assessment for the M4 Widening is also under way, with an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) expected to be on public exhibition around mid-2014.
13 Mar 2014
The Minister Brad Hazzard has announced the next steps for 2 Urban Activation Precincts (UAP) in Sydney which will deliver vital infrastructure and more than 9000 homes.
- The rezoning of Epping Town Centre has been finalised. More on the final plan for the Epping Town Centre here.
- The planning proposal for Carter Street in Lidcombe is on public exhibition. The Department is inviting feedback on the proposal to transform a light industrial area (known as the Carter St precinct) near Sydney Olympic Park into 5,500 new homes with direct access to the M4 and the new WestConnex motorway. More details on the proposal for Carter St UAP here.
12 Mar 2014
The fire which broke out on yesterday afternoon and threatened to bring down a multi-storey crane at the Barangaroo site in Sydney CBD is officially extinguished. Hundreds of office workers in nearby buildings had to be evacuated and many major roads, including the Western Distributor were closed, causing wide spread traffic chaos for Sydney commuters. Unions are calling for urgent city-wide audit of construction safety standards.
9 Mar 2014
The NSW Department of Planning & Infrastructure has published the latest Local Development Performance Monitoring report which provides comprehensive statistics about development in NSW, including annual information on the volume, value and type of development and council processing times. More details on the Department of Planning & Infrastructure's website here.
4 Mar 2014
Hundreds of new homes and jobs will be created through the urban renewal of the former Kolotex and Labelcraft facilities on George St, Leichhardt with the rezoning approval and amendment to the Leichhardt Local Environment Plan (LEP) today. More details on the Department of Planning & Infrastructure's website here.
28 Feb 2014
The NSW Government is currently considering options on the best means to implement its town planning reform program.
Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Brad Hazzard confirmed today that the Planning Bill remains in the NSW Parliament and discussions with stakeholders are continuing. More on the NSW Planning reform on the Department of Planning & Infrastructure website here.
22 Feb 2014
Changes to the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 will take effect on 22 February 2014. The SEPP brings together the majority of development types that can be undertaken as exempt or complying development:
■There are now around 80 categories of exempt development – when minor building additions or alterations do not require approval, as long as they meet straightforward building standards and are not on environmentally sensitive or heritage-listed land.
■The range of complying development has been significantly expanded. Complying development refers to building works that, as long as it complies with specific building standards, can be routinely approved without delay.
More information at Department of Planning & Infrastructure website: http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/BuildinginNSW/ExemptandComplyingDevelopment.aspx
21 Feb 2014
Approvals for new homes in Sydney last year were higher than at any time since 1999, according to the latest monthly housing report released by the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Brad Hazzard.
Housing figures for the Sydney Metro Region during 2013 show:
- 33,970 new homes were approved (compared to about 15,000 in 2009)
- Approvals in the six months from July to December 2013 were 51 per cent higher than the previous six months showing just how hot housing approvals are in NSW.
- 21,573 homes were completed and we are on track for even more this year.
More information on this at Department of Planning & Infrastructure here.
19 Feb 2014
UrbanGrowth NSW is seeking Expressions of Interest from developers who are interested in acquiring a landmark mixed used residential site in the recently rezoned North Ryde Station Precinct. The site, located at 1-17 Delhi Road North Ryde, is the first one being offered in a staged release.
The North Ryde Station Precinct was gazetted as an Urban Activation Precinct on 21 September 2013. The precinct has the potential to accommodate around 330,000sqm of predominately residential and mixed use gross floor area, all within waking distance of two train stations – North Ryde and Macquarie Park.
UrbanGrowth NSW is the precinct master developer and will coordinate the sale of super lots. It has also committed $18 million for local traffic upgrades including the widening of Delhi Road and a pedestrian bridge to North Ryde Station. The Expression of Interest period closes on Wednesday 26 March 2014.
More information at UrbanGrowth NSW here.
Have planning questions? Contact our urban planner now for FREE consultation