Upcoming changes to Development Assessment Service - July 2025

From 1 July 2025, all NSW councils are required to meet a target of 7 days for the lodgement of DAs, as required in the Statement of Expectation Order 2024 by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces. The 7-day timeframe commences when the application is submitted to Council via the NSW Planning Portal and the timeframe concludes when Council has received the fees and then accepts the application. 
 To meet the State Government target, Council is making a number of process changes. The ones relevant to you are:

• ​ Incomplete applications

Council will no longer leave applications in the portal whilst requesting additional information. All incomplete applications will be returned, with a letter clearly outlining the missing documentation.   When all requested information is obtained, a new application will then need to be submitted on the portal.

• Payment of Invoices

Application fees will need to be paid with 2 days from receipt of the invoice. Where payment is not received within the specified timeframe, the application will be returned and will be required to be resubmitted as a new application.