Planning proposals must be consistent with the North West Growth Area strategy.
Applies to: Land within the North West Priority Growth Area in the Blacktown, The Hills or Hawkesbury LGAsWhen a council prepares a planning proposal for land in the North West Priority Growth Area, the proposal must be consistent with the North West Priority Growth Area Land Use and Infrastructure Strategy.
This is a place-based ministerial planning direction that ties rezoning decisions in a specific growth precinct to a government strategy document. Its aim is simple: when land inside the North West Priority Growth Area is proposed for a change in planning controls, the change must line up with the North West Priority Growth Area Land Use and Infrastructure Strategy (the Strategy), which sets out how that area is meant to grow and be serviced with infrastructure.
In practice, a 'planning proposal' is the formal document a council or other planning authority prepares to amend a local environmental plan (for example, to rezone land or change permitted uses). This direction requires that any such proposal for the affected land be 'consistent with' the Strategy. If it is not consistent, the proposal cannot simply proceed — the planning authority has to seek the Planning Secretary's (or a nominated departmental officer's) satisfaction on two points before an inconsistency is allowed.
The direction commenced on 1 March 2022 and replaced the earlier Direction 7.4. It is narrow and geographic: it only bites on land within the North West Priority Growth Area and only in three named local government areas.
Relevant planning authorities (typically councils, but any authority preparing a planning proposal) preparing a planning proposal for affected land in the Blacktown, The Hills or Hawkesbury local government areas.
It is triggered when a relevant planning authority prepares a planning proposal for land in the Blacktown, The Hills or Hawkesbury LGAs that applies to land within the North West Priority Growth Area.
A planning proposal may be inconsistent only if the relevant planning authority satisfies the Planning Secretary (or a nominated departmental officer) that the inconsistent provisions are of minor significance and that the proposal achieves the overall intent of the Strategy and does not undermine its objectives, planning principles and priorities.
It gives effect to the North West Priority Growth Area Land Use and Infrastructure Strategy and replaces the previous Direction 7.4 from 1 March 2022.
Any planning proposal to which the direction applies must be consistent with the North West Priority Growth Area Land Use and Infrastructure Strategy.
The obligation only applies to land within the North West Priority Growth Area located in the Blacktown, The Hills or Hawkesbury local government areas.
This direction does not apply to Kiama. It is confined to the North West Priority Growth Area within the Blacktown, The Hills and Hawkesbury LGAs in Sydney's north-west. Kiama is a South Coast/Illawarra council with no land in that growth area, so Kiama planning proposals, DAs and certifiers are not affected by it.
1.6 Implementation of North West Priority Growth Area Land Use and Infrastructure Implementation Plan Objective The objective of this direction is to ensure development within the North West Priority Growth Area is consistent with the North West Priority Growth Area Land Use and Infrastructure Strategy (the Strategy). Application This direction applies when a relevant planning authority prepares a planning proposal for land in the Blacktown, The Hills or Hawkesbury local government areas that applies to land within the Nort h West Priority Growth Area. Direction 1.6 (1) Planning proposals to which this direction applies shall be consistent with the North West Priority Growth Area Land Use and Infrastructure Strategy. Consistency A planning proposal may be inconsistent with the terms of this direction only if the relevant planning authority can satisfy the Planning Secretary (or an officer of the Department nominated by the Secretary), that: (a) the provisions of the planning proposal that are inconsistent are of minor significance, an d (b) the planning proposal achieves the overall intent of the Strategy and does not undermine the achievement of its objectives, planning principles and priorities for the North West Priority Growth Area. Issued to commence 1 March 2022 (replaces previous Direction 7.4)
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.
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.