The New South Wales government is investing nearly half a million dollars in a new pilot program across Sydney’s Sutherland Shire designed to slash planning delays and accelerate housing delivery.
The AU$472,000 Sutherland–Kirrawee Groundwater Investigation Pilot aims to eliminate a major construction bottleneck by collecting essential environmental data upfront.
Under current regulations, residential developments requiring basement excavations often need dewatering, the removal of groundwater during construction.
Acquiring the necessary groundwater data before lodging a Development Application (DA) can delay projects by up to three months.
To address the backlog, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) will install a regional network of 20 to 30 monitoring bores across Sutherland and Kirrawee.
The resulting technical dataset will be made publicly available to builders, removing the need for individual developers to conduct lengthy preliminary testing.
Funded by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI), the bore network will monitor local conditions for up to three years, creating a comprehensive database to streamline long-term planning approvals while upholding environmental standards.
Minister for Housing and Water Rose Jackson highlighted that addressing cost-of-living pressures requires cutting unnecessary bureaucratic delays.
“This pilot is a practical example of how we’re reducing delays and helping get more homes built sooner,” Jackson said.
“We’re doing the groundwork upfront, potentially cutting months off the approvals process so builders can get on with the job sooner.”
Planning Minister Paul Scully added that providing reliable groundwater data gives developers certainty in a rapidly growing area of southern Sydney.
“That means faster approvals, more certainty and more homes delivered in an area of Sydney we know is growing quickly,” Scully said.
The initiative aligns with broader planning reforms under the state government, including the establishment of the Development Coordination Authority.
State government figures indicate planning approvals have accelerated by 30 per cent over the past year, with overall housing approvals rising 13.5 per cent as NSW works to boost housing supply.
