New rules see changes to development notifications
Communities in all council areas across NSW will no longer be notified of certain development applications (DAs) that have been lodged by their neighbours as part of the new Community Participation Plan (CPP), effective since 1 September 2026.
Development types that are exempt from being notified under the State Government’s new rules include what the government deemed ‘low-impact development application types.’ These include residential development of up to two storeys, dual occupancies, attached dwellings (up to five), and others.
The new CPP aimed to make it clearer for people to have their say on planning decisions by making the rules the same across the state.
North Sydney Council reported that it had previously notified about 90% of the DAs it received, including modifications and reviews.
A council spokespersson told NL that it had raised concerns about removing some notifications as some developments classified as ‘low impact can still affect neighbours’ privacy, sunlight and amenity.’ “A fair system must balance timely decisions for applicants with meaningful opportunities for affected residents to have their say.”
Council said residents could stay informed through council’s DA Tracker, DA notifications e-newsletter and services such as Planning Alerts.
A Mosman Council spokesperson told NL that council had ‘made representations to the NSW Government regarding aspects of the proposed reforms during the consultation process.’
“We are actively reviewing the implications of the Statewide Community Participation Plan for Mosman,” the spokesperson said. “We want to ensure that people remain adequately informed of matters that may affect them, consistent with council’s commitment to strong community engagement and transparency.”
Mosman Council said that even though some DAs would not be open for public comment, residents could still view details and track the DAs progress through its online DA tracker. The Mosman community members can also subscribe to council’s new Development Applications Excluded from Public Exhibition weekly email update, which includes details of newly lodged applications that are not required to be publicly exhibited. They can subscribe at mosman.nsw.gov.au/subscribe
Willoughby Council told NL that it recognised that some DAs may still be of interest to neighbouring property owners, even where notification is no longer required.
“Council said it will continue to assess development applications against the relevant planning controls and statutory requirements, regardless of whether public notification is required,” a spokesperson said.
“Council always encourages applicants to speak with their neighbours regarding any work that they are planning to undertake on their home in order to discuss any issues that might be of concern during construction.”
The new rules put greater focus on strategic planning and major complex development applications (DAs) and introduce longer exhibition timeframes for strategic planning proposals about where development should be and where infrastructure is needed.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully that the new plan made it ‘clearer and simpler’ for the community to know when they could have a say on a planning proposal.
“We don’t expect people to be experts to make a submission to the planning process but we want to make sure that people can have their say in a clear, simple and easily understood way.”
The Housing Industry Association welcomed the new CPP regulations.
“The new statewide CPP improves the planning system by introducing a clear and consistent approach to consultation on development across the state, adding more certainty for communities and industry,” said Brad Armitage, executive director NSW, in a media release on 28 August. “The new CPP also ensures that we are consulting on the big, impactful planning and not sweating the small stuff.”