Pyrmont planning proposals must follow the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy.
Applies to: Land subject to the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy in the City of Sydney LGA (Map LAP_001)When preparing a planning proposal for land in the Pyrmont Peninsula, the planning proposal authority must ensure it is consistent with the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy, including its Vision, 10 directions, Structure Plan, sub-precinct future character and Big Moves. It must also be consistent with the Urban Design Report's Peninsula-wide objectives, height strategy and sub-precinct master plans.
This direction is a place-based planning control that ties any rezoning or planning-control change on the Pyrmont Peninsula to a specific strategic blueprint — the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy. In practical terms, when a council or other planning proposal authority wants to change the rules that govern development on this land (for example, changing height limits, land uses or floor space), the resulting planning proposal must line up with the Place Strategy that the Minister approved and published on 11 December 2020, and with a companion Urban Design Report published on 29 July 2022.
The mechanics work by requiring the proposal to 'give effect' to the Strategy's Vision, its 10 directions, its Structure Plan, the envisaged future character of individual sub-precincts, and its 'Big Moves'. On top of that, the proposal must also be consistent with the Urban Design Report's Peninsula-wide objectives, its height strategy, and the detailed sub-precinct master plans. So this is not a vague 'have regard to' obligation — it points to named parts of named documents that a proposal has to satisfy.
The consequence of inconsistency is that the planning proposal can be stopped or sent back unless the authority can convince the Planning Secretary the departure is only minor and does not undermine the Strategy's overall intent. This keeps rezoning of the Peninsula aligned with a single coordinated growth plan rather than being decided site-by-site in isolation.
Planning proposal authorities (typically the City of Sydney council, but any authority preparing a planning proposal for this land) preparing planning proposals over the mapped Pyrmont Peninsula land. It does not directly bind consent authorities assessing individual development applications.
It is triggered when a planning proposal authority prepares a planning proposal for land subject to the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy in the City of Sydney LGA, as shown on Map LAP_001 published on 11 December 2020.
A planning proposal may be inconsistent only if the planning proposal authority satisfies the Planning Secretary (or their nominee) that the inconsistent provisions are of minor significance and that the proposal achieves the overall intent of the Place Strategy and Urban Design Report without undermining the Vision, directions, Big Moves, sub-precinct Place Priorities, Framework for Key Sites and Key Infrastructure Opportunities.
The direction aligns the planning framework with the Eastern City District Plan (Planning Priority E7 – Growing a Stronger and More Competitive Harbour CBD) and the Greater Sydney Region Plan, and references the Economic Development Strategy. It operates alongside the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy and its Urban Design Report (Vol. 3 Sub-precinct Master Planning).
The planning proposal must give effect to the objectives of this direction and the Vision in Part 5 of the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy.
The proposal must be consistent with the 10 directions in Part 6 and the Structure Plan in Part 8 of the Place Strategy.
It must deliver the envisaged future character for sub-precincts (Part 9) including relevant place priorities, and support delivery of the Big Moves (Part 7).
The proposal must be consistent with the Peninsula-wide objectives (Part 2), the Peninsula height strategy (Part 3), and the sub-precinct master plans (Part 4) of the Urban Design Report published 29 July 2022.
This direction does not apply to Kiama. It is strictly geographically confined to land within the Pyrmont Peninsula in the City of Sydney LGA as shown on Map LAP_001. A Kiama-scale coastal council, DA or planning proposal is not affected by it. It is only useful to Kiama as an example of how a place-based ministerial direction can bind rezonings to a detailed strategy and master plan.
1.15 Implementation of the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy Objective The objectives of this direction are to: (a) facilitate development within the Pyrmont Peninsula that is consistent with the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy (Place Strategy) and the Economic Development Strategy, (b) align the planning framework with the Eastern City District Plan Planning Priority E7 Growing a Stronger and More Competitive Harbour CBD and actively support the consistent delivery of objectives in the Eastern City District Plan and Greater Sydney Region Plan, and (c) guide growth and change balanced with character, heritage and infrastructure considerations (amongst others) across the Peninsula under the Place Strategy. Application This direction applies when a planning proposal authority prepares a planning proposal within land subject to the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy in the City of Sydney local government area as shown on Map LAP_001 Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy Ministerial Direction published on the Department of Planning and Environment website on 11 December 2020. Direction 1.15 (1) A planning proposal authority must ensure that a planning proposal is consistent with the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy, approved by the Minister for Planning and published on the Department of Planning and Environment website on 11 December 2020, including that it: (a) gives effect to the objectives of this direction and the Vision (Part 5) of the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy, (b) is consistent with the 10 directions (Part 6) and Structure Plan (Part 8) in the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy, (c) delivers on envisaged future character for sub-precincts (Part 9), including relevant place priorities in the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy, and (d) supports the delivery of the Big Moves (Part 7) in the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy. (2) A planning proposal authority must ensure that a planning proposal is consistent with the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy - Urban Design Report (Vol. 3 Sub-precinct Master Planning) published on the Department of Planning and Environment website on 29 July 2022 (Urban Design Report), including the: (a) Peninsula wide objectives contained in Part 2 of the Urban Design Report, (b) the Peninsula height strategy contained in Part 3 of the Urban Design Report, and (c) the sub-precinct master plans contained in Part 4 of the Urban Design Report. Consistency A planning proposal may be inconsistent with the terms of this direction only if the planning proposal authority can satisfy the Planning Secretary (or their nominee), that: (a) the provisions of the planning proposal that are inconsistent are of minor significance, and (b) the planning proposal achieves the overall intent of the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy and Urban Design Report and does not undermine the achievement of the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy’s Vision, directions, Big Moves, sub-precinct Place Priorities, Framework for Key Sites and Key Infrastructure Opportunities. Date commenced: 29 July 2022
This is an unofficial reproduction provided for convenience. It is not the official version of the legislation. For the official, in-force version, see legislation.nsw.gov.au.
Reproduced from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (planning.nsw.gov.au), © State of New South Wales, under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Text extraction may introduce minor formatting artefacts — rely on the official source for anything decision-critical.