Media Releases from the Minister Media Releases from the Department Media Releases Department of Planning

Media Release - Minister's Office Sydney: 21 October, 2009 MAJOR PROJECT SYSTEM SUPPORTS OVER 1,800 JOBS AND MORE THAN $1.8 BILLION IN SEPTEMBER Since September 2008 the NSW Government has approved 490 Major Projects supporting nearly 62,000 jobs and almost $20 billion worth of investment in NSW. Planning Minister, Kristina Keneally, said that an efficient and transparent Planning system is one of the most effective tools the Government can use to beat back the impact of the global economic downturn. “In September alone, Major Project approvals are supporting 1,843 jobs and more than $1.8 billion of investment.” Ms Keneally said that during September 2009: 40 Major Projects had been approved, supporting 1,364 construction jobs, 479 operational jobs and over $1.8 billion of capital investment in NSW. 1 project – the Ashington redevelopment at Double Bay – was assessed as a Major Project and refused. Of these 40 approvals, 13 were approved by the Minister under Part 3A and 5 were approved under Part 4 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. The remaining 22 were approved by the Department of Planning under relevant Parts of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. The Minister also refused to declare a proposed expansion of Parklea Markets as a Major Project. “One of the more significant approvals in September was for the $800 million upgrade to Sydney’s electricity grid,” Ms Keneally said. “That approval alone will support more than 300 jobs and make the city’s power supply one of the most secure in the country.” Ms Keneally said the Major Project system provides a rigorous assessment process, which leads to projects being amended or refused. “The Ashington development underwent a rigorous 52-day community consultation and two independent reviews, leading to my decision to refuse the proposal,” Ms Keneally said. “Following a Planning Assessment Review of a proposal to significantly expand Parklea Markets as a retail and hotel precinct, I decided to refuse to declare the proposal a Major Project. “The refusal means the State Government will not consider any concept plan application if it were lodged and any future proposal will be dealt with by the local council.” A full breakdown of approvals can be downloaded from here. MEDIA CONTACTS: Department of Planning Media Unit Phone (02) 9228 6295 Facsimile (02) 9228 6564 23-33 Bridge Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 © NSW Department of Planning