3/03/2009

3 March 2009

New Planning Regulations in New South Wales Boost Jobs
.... People want to spend money and create urgently needed jobs.

The NSW Housing Code, which came into force last week, will provide a major boost to jobs in the building and construction industry according to Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Angus Kell

Angus Kell, ACT & NSW State Manager of Archicentre said the legislation provides an alternative to the existing Development Approval and Construction Certificate process with a Complying Development Certificate issued for residential developments which meet the requirements of the new Code. This should speed up the building of new homes and renovation projects which could create thousands of jobs. In a survey of 800 architects across Australia who were asked what had been the most dramatic change in the last five years - 34.7% of the replies nominated town planning and development approval problems. Mr Kell said that whilst some of the problems were caused by under staffed councils planning operations, the major problem was the complicated maze of planning rules at both a State and local government level which conflicted leaving the renovator as the meat in the sandwich. Currently almost 90% of new detached houses in New South Wales require lodgement of a Development Application (DA). The time for councils to process a DA in Sydney averages 120 days across all Sydney metropolitan councils.

If you meet the requirements of the New South Wales Housing Code you may get a Complying Development Certificate within 10 days, with construction able to commence 2-4 days later.

"Delays can add thousands if not tens of thousands to costs and in some cases may mean the builder's quote is out of date and needs to be done again leaving the consumer frustrated and out of pocket. The evidence of this is the fact that nearly 30% of houses offered for sale have evidence of illegal building works based on Archicentre's pre-purchase inspections".

Mr Kell said the challenge for Local Government and the building industry, including architects, is to get the improved system to produce quicker outcomes for clients, saving both time and money. In the current economic climate many architects have foreseen the benefits of the new Code and are ready to go!

An immediate benefit of the new Housing Code will mean that houses designed by architects, designed for energy efficiency whilst integrating into the characteristics of existing neighbourhoods, can be approved within 10 days giving further housing choice to home owners.

The New South Wales Housing Code is in line with similar building codes in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

www.archicentre.com.au

Media Enquiries:
Angus Kell State Manager NSW & ACT Archicentre (02) 9555 5111 Mobile: 0412 565 023
Ron Smith Corporate Media Communications (03) 9818 5700 Mobile: 0417 329 201