The NSW planning system plays a vital role in shaping how communities grow, where homes are built, and how infrastructure and services are delivered to support growing communities.
We’ve introduced a statewide Community Participation Plan to ensure consultation is clear and consistent across NSW and that everyone has an equal say on planning decisions, no matter where they live.
The statewide plan is part of landmark reforms to make the planning system faster, fairer and more focused on outcomes.
A statewide Community Participation Plan
From 1 September 2026, all planning authorities, including councils and NSW Government agencies with key planning approval functions, must use the statewide Community Participation Plan as required by the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
The statewide Community Participation Plan replaces the more than 100 unique community participation plans that were used across NSW.
The plan standardises consultation and public exhibition timeframes for planning functions across NSW and focuses consultation earlier and where it can have the greatest impact.
While the Community Participation Plan outlines exhibition timeframes and principles, councils still retain control over how best to engage their local communities on planning matters through their engagement strategies.
Feedback
We exhibited a draft statewide Community Participation Plan for public feedback between 8 April and 3 June 2026. For more information on how we responded to the feedback you provided, visit the NSW Planning Portal.
Savings and transitional arrangements
Transitional arrangements will apply to development or modification applications that were lodged but not yet determined before the commencement of the new plan.
The changes will ensure that these applications remain subject to the community participation requirements in the Act that applied before commencement.
The changes will also include a savings provision to ensure that any draft regional or district strategic plans, or draft local strategic planning statements that were exhibited but not yet finalised before the commencement of new public exhibition timeframes will not be invalidated.
Frequently asked questions
Currently, over 100 different community participation plans operate across NSW, leading to inconsistent consultation practices and timeframes for the same development types across local government areas.
These reforms replace individual plans with a single, statewide approach to provide consistency and certainty to all stakeholders and ensure public exhibition and consultation requirements match the scale and impact of development proposals.
The Plan also strengthens local community knowledge in shaping how planning authorities should engage with their communities through unique community engagement strategies.
The statewide Community Participation Plan explains how and when the community can participate in planning matters. It also explains when planning authorities like councils and NSW Government agencies are required to undertake community consultation in NSW.
The plan provides minimum public exhibition timeframes that must be met by planning authorities and provides guidance on how and when a planning authority is required to engage with the community for different planning functions.
From 1 September 2026, the statewide Community Participation Plan will take effect across NSW. This means all existing council and any relevant NSW Government agency community participation plans will no longer apply.
Some councils have combined community participation plans and engagement strategies. These documents can continue to exist to detail how councils will engage their community, however exhibition and consultation requirements set out in the statewide Community Participation Plan will apply.
It is intended that in a council’s next review cycle, these documents will be updated to reflect the new community participation approach. Standalone community participation plans, that do not set engagement methods will be superseded.
- Exhibition timeframes for draft district and regional plans and local strategic planning statements have increased to a legislated minimum of 60 days.
- Residential flat buildings and shop top housing development types will remain subject to a minimum 14-day exhibition.
- Minimum exhibition timeframes have been retained, and planning authorities can extend exhibition timeframes in certain circumstances.
- A refined list of lower impact development types that will not require public exhibition.
Councils and other planning authorities can continue to specify engagement methods in their community engagement strategies as required under the Local Government Act 1993. Planning authorities can use these engagement strategies to outline the specific methods and tools they will use to engage with communities and stakeholders.
Every community is different, and engagement approaches should reflect the characteristics, needs and preferences of the communities they are intended to reach.
The Department has prepared engagement guidelines to assist planning authorities when preparing engagement strategies. The guidelines include examples of best practice engagement methods as well as how to engage with certain groups and communities including young people, elderly, and those living in rural areas. Community engagement strategies will not be able to include exhibition and consultation timeframes for planning functions.
Savings and transitional arrangements
Savings and transitional provisions are in place so that development applications and modification applications that are lodged but not yet determined before the commencement of the statewide Community Participation Plan on 1 September 2026 are subject to community participation requirements that applied before commencement.
This will ensure a smooth transition for applications already under assessment.
Savings provisions apply to any draft regional or district strategic plan or draft local strategic planning statement that was exhibited but not yet made before the commencement of the new minimum 60-day public exhibition period.
This will ensure a smooth transition for plans and strategies already on exhibition.
Community Participation requirements
The plan applies to everyone in NSW, including communities, councils, and NSW Government agencies and determining authorities who engage with planning matters in NSW.
The statewide Community Participation Plan has increased exhibition timeframes for strategic plans, to ensure stakeholders can fully engage with how their communities will change over time. District, regional and local strategic planning statements are now required to be exhibited for a minimum of 60 days.
These changes are about introducing proportionality in the planning system by promoting participation on planning issues that matter most to communities and removing consultation that is duplicative or unnecessary.
The statewide Community Participation Plan includes a list of lower-impact development types where no public exhibition is required where the development is consistent with building height and floor space ratio controls.
A proposed development is still required to undergo an assessment by the consent authority under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, and this is not changing. The assessment officer will still need to address relevant matters, undertake a site visit and ensure any impacts, including to amenity, are considered as part of this assessment.
The principles in section 2.23(2) of the EP&A Act have been considered in preparation of the statewide Community Participation Plan and have shaped the objectives in the Community Participation Plan. These objectives encourage community participation methods which are inclusive, easy to access, relevant, timely, proportionate and meaningful.
Monitoring the Community Participation Plan
The statewide Community Participation Plan will be periodically reviewed as required under section 2.24(3) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
The Department will continue to work with stakeholders to monitor the effectiveness of these changes so that we can speed up the delivery of new homes across the state.
Further information on the statewide Community Participation Plan can be found on the NSW Planning Portal. If you have any further questions, email [email protected]