Warehouses built over several storeys, distribution centres and online retail hubs could be easier to build under simpler planning rules now on public exhibition.
The NSW Government is proposing more flexible planning controls to make better use of industrial land, back investment and create jobs.
“The Minns Labor Government is making commonsense changes to expand the industrial land our state needs to power its economy and support jobs, not just for today but for the decades ahead,” said Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully.
Businesses would have more freedom to set up and run industrial and employment developments, including distribution centres, multi-storey warehouses, and facilities supporting online retail, freight and logistics.
“Industrial land is the backbone of our freight and logistics networks,” Mr Scully said.
“Every time you order an online package or have your groceries delivered, it comes through an industrial or employment zone to get to you.”
With demand growing for both industrial land and housing, the government says NSW must make better use of its existing industrial and employment areas while securing land for future growth.
The government says the former Liberal and Nationals governments did very little to modernise the planning framework or increase the supply of industrial land, and the current government inherited a shortage of serviced and available land.
“Fairer, clearer, simpler rules cut red tape, back business investment and lift productivity,” Mr Scully said.
“We are making it easier to build, operate, invest, and create jobs in this state.”
The government has also released a proposed Industrial Lands Categorisation for Regional NSW, the Central Coast and the Lower Hunter.
It identifies industrial land by its role, scale, infrastructure connections and economic contribution, classifying it as state significant, regionally significant or locally significant. The aim is to make sure land is available in the right places to meet future demand.
The framework sets indicative targets for development-ready industrial land of:
- 50 hectares a year across the Central Coast and Lower Hunter
- 40 hectares a year across Regional NSW.
Investigation Areas have also been identified to explore opportunities to unlock more industrial land and address infrastructure and servicing constraints.
The exhibition completes every action under the government’s Industrial Lands Action Plan. The first action, the Statewide Policy for Industrial Lands, was finalised in August.
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure is also making separate minor changes to industrial land planning controls in response to stakeholder feedback. These are expected to take effect before the end of the year.
“With these reforms we have delivered every action in our Industrial Lands Action Plan, a stronger framework to protect, manage and grow industrial land across the state,” Mr Scully said.
“We said we would do it and we have.”
The planning changes and the industrial lands categorisation are on exhibition separately. Both close at 5pm on Thursday, 26 November.
More information is available from NSW Planning.
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