Forty-four councils in New South Wales (NSW) will share up to $73 million in state funding after improving their development assessment timeframes, the NSW government has announced.
The money will pay for local infrastructure such as roads, parks, open space, and community facilities in growing areas. The Property Council of Australia welcomed the funding as a practical step towards lifting housing delivery.
For brokers, faster council decisions can shorten the time it takes for new homes to reach the market.
The latest funding follows a similar payout in July, when the government awarded almost $54 million to 30 high-performing councils under round one of its $200 million Faster Assessments Incentive Program.
Statewide, the average time for councils to determine a development application has fallen from 115 days to 84 days as of 31 May 2026, according to NSW Planning's Statement of Expectations Order data. The target tightens from 90 days now to 80 days from July 2027 and 65 days from July 2028.
The funding comes a week after the government unveiled the NSW Planning Practice Program. The program will provide fully funded training for up to 950 council development assessment officers across NSW.
"You can't deliver more homes without improving the planning system, and you can't improve the planning system without investing in the planners and councils tasked with delivering outcomes on the ground," said Katie Stevenson (pictured), NSW executive director at the Property Council.
In Stevenson's view, upskilling council planners and rewarding better-performing councils recognises that housing delivery needs both skilled planners and strong council performance. The Property Council had long argued that faster assessments and sound decisions can go together, she said, and a more predictable planning system would give councils and the industry greater certainty.
Housing growth also needs to be matched by investment in local infrastructure that benefits both existing and future residents, according to Stevenson.
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