NSW planning laws

Wendy Bacon reports on a draft bill that proposes a new form of urban governance that could give NSW business property owners a special say over how public spaces are used.

Government inaction in the face of a warming climate, developer greed and poor planning are to blame for the catastrophic impacts of recent floods in New South Wales, argues Ben Radford.

The New South Wales state government has released changes to the state’s planning law which, if passed, will grant big mining companies more power and reduce communities and councils’ already limited rights of appeal.

The government says the changes to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (EP&A Act) 1979, released on January 9, are primarily about promoting “confidence” in the state’s planning system.