Property Council NSW Executive Director Katie Stevenson said the monthly data for July showed average assessment days for all NSW councils' residential DAs in July was 107 days, below the Government's 115-day target.
"Councils process around 85 per cent of all residential development applications and these data for the first month of the Housing Accord set a cracking pace.
"The data show many councils are ready for the challenge, but the State Government needs to be alert to those few councils taking too long to determine relatively simple development projects.
"Only 52 per cent of councils in July met the average assessment days required in the Government's Statement of Expectations. Many need support and some need to lift their game.
"The latest ABS NSW building approvals data for June were at their lowest monthly level since January 2013 - just 3,014 dwellings approved, way short of the average 7,500 we need each month.
"We need to be backing in councils with more funding, staff and incentives to get these decisions moving more quickly - and we need to be ready to penalise those dragging their feet," she said.
The NSW Government's Statement of Expectations Order came into force on 1 July 2024. The Order includes new minimum performance standards for determining DAs and lodgement times.
"We're on the clock. We have an ambitious target of 377,000 new homes to deliver by 2029, and councils and state government need to be seen to deliver their planning functions efficiently and effectively to help us get to this target," Ms Stevenson said.
"We're also pleased to see State agencies concurrence and referral timeframes published alongside the council league tables, showing good performance in the first month of the Accord.
"It's early days, but we're off to a strong start - we'll continue to work with governments at all levels to improve the quality and speed of DAs, to get more homes delivered faster," Ms Stevenson said.
