Updating biodiversity and conservation planning policy
In 2022, we updated the planning framework for protecting and managing our natural environment, which helps support the community’s health and wellbeing, economic security and cultural identity.
The simplified framework consolidated and updated provisions in former chapters of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021 (Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP). Find more information about this change in the resources section.
More recently, Chapter 6 Water catchments – State Environmental Planning Policy (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021 has consolidated 4 chapters relating to regulated water catchments into a single chapter, and applies to land in the following catchments:
- Sydney Drinking Water Catchment (formerly State Environmental Planning Policy (Sydney Drinking Water Catchment) 2011)
- Sydney Harbour Catchment (formerly Sydney Regional Environmental Plan (Sydney Harbour Catchment) 2005)
- Georges River Catchment (formerly Greater Metropolitan Regional Environmental Plan No. 2 – Georges River Catchment)
- Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment (formerly Sydney Regional Environmental Plan No. 20 – Hawkesbury–Nepean River (No.2-1997)).
Chapter 6 provides development controls and provisions to support the protection and management of the environment, biodiversity, water quality, use, and public access in the regulated water catchments.
The regulated water catchments are mapped in the NSW Spatial Viewer. Maps referred to under the Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP can be accessed through the NSW Planning Portal.
Consent authority functions in Sydney Harbour
The consent authority functions of councils surrounding Sydney Harbour for development in the Sydney Harbour Foreshores and Waterways Area have been maintained but there are some changes to how these functions are assigned.
Section 4.5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 means that a state environmental planning policy is no longer able to designate councils as a consent authority. Therefore, the Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP instead identifies the Minister for Planning for this role.
The Minister for Planning has delegated these consent authority functions to councils through an instrument of delegation (PDF, 192 KB).
The consent authority provisions of section 6.25 of the Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP should be read in conjunction with the instrument of delegation at Delegated decisions.
Sydney Harbour Foreshores and Waterways Area Development Control Plan
The Sydney Harbour Foreshores and Waterways Area Development Control Plan (PDF, 1.6 MB) continues to apply to the foreshores and waterways area as identified in Part 6.3 of the Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP. The development control plan includes design guidelines for development and criteria for natural resource protection.
- Ecological communities and landscape characters index map (PDF, 84 KB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 1 (PDF, 1.4 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 2 (PDF, 2.4 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 3 (PDF, 2 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 4 (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 5 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 6 (PDF, 3.3 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 7 (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 8 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 9 (PDF, 2 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 10 (PDF, 2.4 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 11 (PDF, 2 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 12 (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 13 (PDF, 1.6 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 14 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 15 (PDF, 2.5 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 16 (PDF, 1.4 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 17 (PDF, 659 KB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 18 (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 19 (PDF, 153 KB)
- Ecological communities and landscape characters – map 20 (PDF, 172 KB)
Recent updates
Housekeeping amendments – water catchments
Since the Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP amendments came into effect on 21 November 2022, the NSW Government identified some provisions which may not reflect the intent of the former policies that applied to the regulated water catchments.
The Department has made housekeeping updates to the Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP to restore the original policy intent, fix errors, and provide greater clarity.
For further information on the recent changes to the Biodiversity and Conservation SEPP, read our frequently asked questions.
The amended SEPP commenced on 6 March 2026.