Engagement and concierge

The Engagement and Concierge unit provides a central point of contact for developers, community housing providers (CHPs) and Aboriginal land managers to navigate the planning system and facilitate investment.

We work with our partners and state government colleagues to remove barriers, provide planning pathway advice, and case manage high value projects that meet the NSW Government priorities.

As an integrated team, we work closely with our concierge partners, industry associations, state agencies, local governments and other stakeholders to obtain strategic insights about local and state planning frameworks and policies.

We leverage these insights to deliver 2 core internal services:

• provide analysis of key stakeholder issues and evidence-based advice for Planning, Land Use Strategy, Housing and Infrastructure (PLUSHI) and Development Assessment and Sustainability (DAS) work programs
• recommend interventions at a project and system level to help improve the efficient operation of the NSW planning system.

The Planning Concierge provides the following key services:

• Partnering with developers, Aboriginal land managers and CHPs to facilitate discussions, identify planning pathways, and resolve complex issues that are impeding the progress of projects.
• Mediation services to help progress projects stalled in the system.
• Manage general referrals, including investment attraction opportunities and unsolicited proposals, from government agencies that involve a planning transaction.
• Keeping partners informed of planning policy changes and leveraging opportunities to shape reform through consultation and industry sounding workshops.
• Championing change and driving process efficiency by recommending project-specific and system- wide interventions to improve planning outcomes for the people of NSW.

We also work closely with our colleagues in the NSW Housing Taskforce to resolve delays related to agency approvals for residential development projects, ensuring a faster planning outcome.

Email [email protected] for more information and support.

The Aboriginal Planning Concierge service works collaboratively with Aboriginal land managers including Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALC) and Registered Native Title Body Corporates (RNTBC), to make sure their experiences in the planning system are seamless.

We are committed to supporting self-determination of Aboriginal communities and ensuring their interactions with the planning system better enable Aboriginal land managers to pursue cultural, environmental and economic aspirations on their land.

The team provides a central point of contact in the Department and works with LALCs and RNTBCs to troubleshoot issues and build strong relationships with consent authorities and agencies in land-use planning.

We encourage LALCs and RNTBCs to get in touch. Email [email protected] for more information and support.

The Community Housing Concierge assists participating CHPs in navigating the planning system, helping to remove barriers and speed up the supply of social and affordable homes in NSW so that more people have access to a safe place to live.

Our goal is to support CHPs in the delivery of over 3,600 new affordable homes over the next 5 years. This work is in response to the Government’s commitments under the National Housing Accord to deliver 377,000 new homes across NSW by 2029.

Twenty CHPs have been onboarded, following an expression of interest process that took place in early-2024.

We work in partnership with the participating providers, offering end-to-end project support, policy and planning system navigation, and case management for stalled planning projects to unlock more social and affordable housing projects.

Email [email protected] for more information and support.