State Government order sparks improved Council DA approval times

3 November 2025

North Sydney Council cut its average development application processing time to 81 days in the first quarter of 2025/26, well below the 105-day target imposed by the state government following a ministerial intervention earlier this year.

The improvement followed a Ministerial Order of Expectations issued in July 2024 by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces requiring all NSW councils to meet specific assessment targets. North Sydney Council had initially been expected to determine DAs within 115 days for 2024/25, with progressive reductions over subsequent years.

However, a letter from the minister in March 2025 advised that North Sydney was not meeting its obligations. Since January, the council has turned around its performance, with the new quarterly result representing a 47% improvement compared with the same period last year.

Lodgement times also improved sharply to an average of six days, down from 14 in 2024/25—bringing the council into compliance with all components of the minister’s order.

North Sydney was one of six metropolitan councils to receive a performance improvement letter. Four of those failed to meet the minister’s requirements and are now under the direct management of the Department of Planning.

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