Housing Delivery Authority and State Significant Developments
The NSW Government is addressing the State’s housing shortage, including the need for more affordable housing, through a series of planning reforms that are reshaping approval processes, development rules and building scale across NSW.
Introduced in 2024 and 2025, these reforms mean certain housing developments can now be declared State Significant Development (SSD), with assessment and approval handled by the State Government instead of Council.
What is State Significant Development (SSD)?
Projects can be declared SSD if they are important to the State for economic, environmental or social reasons under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. A development is State Significant if it is over a specific size, is a particular type, is in an environmentally sensitive area or will exceed a particular capital investment value.
Major residential developments within the Crows Nest Transport Oriented Development (TOD) precinct (valued at over $60 million) are also assessed by the NSW Government as SSDs.
What is the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA)?
The NSW Government established the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) to accelerate the delivery of new housing. The HDA considers major housing developments to be assessed as:
- State significant developments (SSDs) or
- State significant developments with a concurrent rezoning to amend the planning controls
The HDA initially evaluates proposals submitted by applicants through an expression of interest (EOI) process. It then recommends to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces whether they should be declared as an SSD.
The HDA meets regularly and publicly notifies the EOI applications that do or do not meet the criteria to be declared as SSDs. A list of the EOI applications and determinations are published on the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure's webpage about its Housing Delivery Authority.
How will these affect the North Sydney Local Government Area?
Over the coming years, residents may start to see visible changes to building heights and density across North Sydney. This will depend on uptake by landowners and developers and the approval and construction process for each project.
Can I give feedback on State Significant Developments (SSDs)?
After the Minister declares a project an SSD, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure assesses the application to determine whether it should be approved (with or without amendments) or refused.
Any members of the community can provide feedback on an SSD project once an SSD has reached the ‘Exhibition’ stage.
Once on Exhibition, a ‘Make a Submission’ button will appear on the NSW Planning Portal - Major Project webpage and there will be 14 days or 28 days to provide feedback. Responses are submitted to, and reviewed by, the State Government, rather than Council.
How can I learn more about State Significant Developments (SSDs) in North Sydney?
Council has developed an interactive map to help the community more easily identify where these SSDs are located and learn how they may affect North Sydney. [Link to map] The most detailed and up-to-date information on SSDs are available on the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure website. A list of current SSDs in the North Sydney Local Government Area can be seen on the NSW Planning Portal - Major Projects webpage.