NSW to Publish Housing Approval Figures by Each Council to Speed Up Building

In a move to spur competition between councils, the New South Wales (NSW) state government will publish data on the number of housing approvals processed in each area, and rank them in a league table. A consistently underperforming council will be subject to a Performance Improvement Order to speed up approvals. The measure is part of the NSW government’s efforts to address the housing crisis by increasing supply by allowing developers to build faster. Minister for Planning Paul Scully said it was critical to track these figures as councils approve 85 percent of residential housing proposals in the state. “We are committed to building a better NSW with more homes so young people, families and workers have somewhere to live. The government has announced a suite of housing reforms over the past 12 months aimed at delivering more homes faster,” he said....