Key Takeaways:

• From 1 July 2026, the Development Coordination Authority will formally coordinate and centralise the state agency advice and approvals required as part of the development application assessment process.
• The reforms aim to reduce duplication, improve consistency and streamline multi-agency assessment processes.

Expanded role for the DCA

From 1 July 2026, the Development Coordination Authority (DCA) will assume an expanded role as the centralised hub for any development application that is subject to concurrence or consultation requirements.

The creation of the DCA was one of the key reforms included in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Act 2025 that was passed last year. See our earlier article on the Planning Systems Reforms Act here.

The DCA will now take on the role of issuing general terms of approval for integrated development and will be the referral authority when a concurrence or consultation requirement applies under a planning instrument.

For example, it is the DCA that will take on the:

• role of issuing the general terms of approval in relation to an integrated development application for which an environmental licence is required under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997; and
• consultation role of Transport for NSW in relation to ‘traffic generating development’.

Key Reforms

Key features of the reforms are as follows:

• A mandatory pre-referral screening requirement requiring consent authorities to notify the DCA of a potential referral, with the DCA undertaking preliminary two-day assessment to determine whether formal referral is required or whether the matter can be dealt with through pre-lodgement pathways. This ensures only matters properly triggering statutory referral requirements are escalated.
• Strict timeframes for referrals and agency responses will be imposed, including a 14-day referral requirement to the appropriate authority, with a response required in 28 days. This reform unifies the various timeframes, ensuring there is consistency across the framework and within the DCA.
• The process for requesting additional information will be formalised and a ‘stop the clock’ mechanism for agency response timeframes will be consistently applied.
• The DCA will be required to provide written reasons to a refusal to issue general terms of approval, refuse the grant of concurrence of grant concurrence subject to a condition.

Further, submissions will no longer be required to be provided to the DCA by councils by default. The DCA may request further information where they consider the submissions necessary. This represents a move toward a targeted information-gathering approach, reducing administrative burden and accelerating referral timeframes.

However, this raises a broader question as to whether the efficiency gains may come at the expense of early-stage public input, particularly in matters that involve significant community interest or environmental sensitivity.

Implications

Developers and planning consultants are likely to experience the greatest benefits where projects require multiple agency referrals or approvals. Rather than engaging separately with multiple agencies addressing issues such as transport, flooding, biodiversity, the reforms seek to provide a coordinated hub between applicants and government agencies. Earlier access to consolidated agency advice may also assist applicants in identifying and resolving issues before formal lodgement.

For consent authorities, the DCA is intended to simplify the process of obtaining agency advice during assessment. This could improve consistency and reduce administrative complexity in the assessment process.

Overall, the commencement of the DCA marks a significant reform in NSW planning, centralising state agency engagement and creating a single hub of coordination. Forming part of the broader strategy to support housing, the DCA aims to reduce delays and improve consistency for applicants and consent authorities.