The construction projects your neighbours will no longer have to tell you about

Direct neighbours of medium-density apartments would receive only seven days’ notice before construction work under a plan to overhaul community consultation in NSW, while no notice would be required at all for 16 types of residential development applications.

The statewide proposal has been backed by Planning Minister Paul Scully as a means of streamlining the system and boosting housing supply, but received backlash from mayors and councils who say it goes too far, could dissuade community input and erode trust in decision-making.

The draft Community Participation Plan (CPP), quietly published by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure last month, aims to turn 120 disparate council participation plans and community engagement processes under a single statewide policy.

Under the proposal, community engagement would be front-loaded in the early stages of planning, encouraging greater input into the rules that govern development in neighbourhoods. Consultation for a range of development applications would be slashed.

“A new statewide Community Participation Plan will reduce unnecessary consultation for low-risk or strategically assessed projects while preserving meaningful community input on significant developments,” the department’s discussion paper states.

Public exhibition and notifications would not be required for 16 types of residential development applications – including new single- and two-storey dwellings, dual occupancies, pools, demolitions and attached dwellings – if they complied with planning policies.

Changing the intended use for commercial and industrial development, such as converting an office into a cafe, would also be exempt from notifying neighbours.

Low- to medium-density apartments and housing above shops would only be required to give adjoining neighbours seven days’ notice before works commenced.

A department spokeswoman said: “The development types proposed to be exempt from notification and exhibition are considered lower impact and in many council areas are already not notified or exhibited.”

NSW has grappled with anaemic housing supply since Labor was elected in 2023 despite legislating a suite of planning reforms. The state is projected to fall more than 100,000 homes short of the 377,000 target set for 2029 under the National Housing Accord.

Northern Beaches Council Mayor Sue Heins said while she supported the attempt to unify and streamline consultation, she held concerns about “anomalies” in the proposal.

“I really feel consultation is a fundamental part of the planning process. The opportunity for residents to have their say on a development shouldn’t be eroded,” she said, adding seven days’ notification for certain DAs was inadequate.

“Neighbouring properties should be asked or at least notified about the impact of traffic generation, acoustic and social impacts.”

Darcy Byrne, the president of Local Government NSW and mayor of Inner West Council, said it was beyond dispute repeated rounds of community consultation contributed to “inertia” and he supported efforts to improve this process. But he said LGNSW was seeking clarification about “how their improvements can work in practice.

“Obviously though there is a big difference between doing away with notification for a renovation of an existing single home and failing to notify residents about a medium- or high-density apartment block,” he said.

Briefing notes for Fairfield City Council meeting on Wednesday night said the plan to front-load exhibition and notification requirements did not “equate to equitable engagement” and would create instances where the community felt unheard.

Fairfield City Mayor Frank Carbone said: “Under these planning changes, many residents fear the first notice they will receive about a major development next door will be when the fencing goes up and excavators fire up their diesel engines at 7am to excavate.

“It’s useless telling residents after a development is approved, and it’s simply a bad policy.”

Hornsby Shire Council acting general manager Glen Magus wrote to the department, saying the expectation communities would be actively involved during the early strategic planning stage was unrealistic and the “real impacts” would only become apparent once development arrived.

“As drafted, the statewide CPP could result in a perception that the proposed reform is aimed at dissuading community input rather than accelerating assessment times or achieving consistency,” he wrote.

“Reduced opportunities for community engagement have a significant negative impact on community trust and engagement.”

State significant projects – apartments with more than 100 homes and valued at $60 million and above – will be required to exhibit for 14 days.

Scully said planning system confusion was holding NSW back from building homes, and under a single CPP “no matter where you live, you’ll know how and when to have your say on development in your neighbourhood.

“We’re ending the confusion created by over 100 different Community Participation Plans across NSW, with different plans possible on opposite sides of the same street,” Scully said.

“The Minns Labor government committed to developing a single Community Participation Plan as part of the landmark legislative planning reforms which passed through parliament in November 2025 with almost universal support.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.