The Development Coordination Authority (DCA) is your central point of contact for planning matters involving NSW Government agencies.
We’re focused on reducing the back-and-forth with multiple state agencies and speeding up housing delivery. Whether you’re a homeowner, developer, applicant, council or consultant, we are here to help you contact the relevant agency.
What we do
The DCA is being established to coordinate and centralise state agency advice and approvals within the development assessment process. Its role is to help resolve conflicting department requirements, reduce requests for additional information, and address post-consent housing issues.
The DCA – housed within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure – will take over the role and functions of the Housing Taskforce. From January 2026, it will help to resolve enquiries related to integrated developments, concurrences, referrals and housing-related post-consent issues.
From July 2026, the DCA will bring together experts from up to 14 different NSW Government agencies to enable the DCA to manage most planning matters in-house. Applicants will be able to seek advice from one single point of contact for pre-DA and post-DA issues, minimising delays and duplication.
The DCA is a key initiative to help simplify the NSW planning system and ensure it is fit to meet today’s housing challenges. A more efficient planning system is essential to tackling the housing crisis and achieving Housing Accord targets. Under the National Housing Accord, NSW is committed to delivering 377,000 new homes over 5 years by July 2029.
The Development Coordination Authority is being established in 2 stages.
Stage 1
The DCA will:
- provide advice, recommendations and reports to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces on matters related to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
- identify solutions to resolve post-consent delays on housing construction and completion, covering consents issued under local and state significant development pathways, and providing case management services.
From January 2026, the DCA will:
- act as a single point of contact for enquiries on local development and modification applications requiring input from NSW Government agencies
- coordinate work to resolve enquiries related to integrated developments, concurrences, referrals and housing-related post-consent issues.
During this period, the DCA will provide regular updates on implementation.
Stage 2 – July 2026
From July 2026, the DCA will also:
- bring together experts from a broad range of disciplines so conflicts can be resolved quickly
- be able to issue concurrences and general terms of approval, allowing a single, coordinated response to be issued to consent authorities
- provide specialised expertise and coordinated agency advice on development applications, modification applications or planning proposals.
How we can help
Whether you're a homeowner, developer, planner, or consent authority, the DCA can help make your experience easier, clearer, and more efficient by delivering:
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One-stop advice
We combine input from different technical areas of expertise, so you only need to deal with one authority.
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Support for applicants
We offer guidance before and after you submit your development application to help avoid delays and duplication.
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Faster decisions
By reducing back-and-forth with multiple areas of expertise across NSW Government, we help to provide consent authorities with faster input reducing assessment timeframes.
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Better coordination
We help resolve issues related to integrated development, referrals, and approvals — making planning smoother.
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Transparent updates
We publish regular updates on new guidance materials, implementation progress, and our performance.
At the Development Coordination Authority, we believe that transparency and shared learning help improve the planning system for everyone. Our reporting services are designed to keep stakeholders informed, highlight progress, and support continuous improvement.
The NSW agency league table is an interactive dashboard monitoring the performance of each NSW Government agency in issuing advice or approvals for proposed development.
Frequently asked questions
The DCA can help if your application needs input from a NSW Government agency. Please share your project details with us and we’ll work out how we can best support you or refer you to the right place.
From January 2026, you will be able to submit an enquiry and we’ll get back to you within 2 business days with the next steps.
From January 2026, the DCA will answer enquiries about local development planning matters that involve NSW government agencies prior to a determination. For post-consent, at this stage we accept housing enquiries only.
Yes. In the lead-up to July 2026 when the DCA will be fully established, you can still refer matters direct to the relevant government agencies. From January 2026, DCA is available to support this process in circumstances where you are unsure who or how to refer a matter to.
From January 2026, you can use our online form which is designed to give us the specific details we need to help you as efficiently as possible.
Please have your Planning Portal Identification Number so we can best assist you. You can find this in the NSW Planning Portal Login.
If you think your enquiry might need more support, or if you'd simply like to learn more, you will be able to contact the DCA directly. We're here to help.
We will work with you to resolve your issue either by connecting you to the right team or finding alternate pathways to provide further guidance.
You will receive a notification or confirmation email acknowledging we have received your request. We will respond to you within 2 business days.
The DCA was created to improve the NSW planning system and deliver faster and less complex assessment processes that are more outcomes-focused.
From July 2026, the role of the DCA is to centralise referrals and advice for the development assessment process and resolve conflicting agency advice. The DCA can also help in resolving delays during construction.
No. The DCA is not responsible for the determination or approval of projects. Our role is to proactively work to resolve issues that are delaying decision-making within NSW Government. The consent authority remains responsible for the final determination of the development application.
The Housing Taskforce has transitioned into the Development Coordination Authority (DCA). In August 2024, the NSW Government created the multi-agency Housing Taskforce to coordinate state agency advice and approvals and make sure housing moves efficiently through the planning system. Through its monitoring and coordination role, state agency performance against legislated timeframes has continued to improve and was 94% for the 2024–25 financial year.
In December 2025, the NSW Government transitioned the Housing Taskforce into the Development Coordination Authority. From July 2026, the DCA will streamline the steps a development application must go through before it is approved, meaning homes and other developments can begin construction sooner.
Applicants will also benefit from being able to seek advice from one agency for pre-DA and post DA issues, minimising delays and duplication. Our focus is to reduce the volume of interaction with multiple state agencies and streamline the housing delivery process to get homes completed sooner.