Sydney CBD Planning Reforms – Where are we at?

We are currently reviewing the recommendations for the Oxford Street Precinct, which will be reported to the City of Sydney on 10 May 2021. The Planning Proposal aligns with the Council’s vision to incentivise opportunities for cultural and creative, entertainment, education, commercial and tourism uses. Some modest height and floor space uplift has also been recommended by Council.

Development Control Plan Challenges

We believe it is vital to remove complexity in applying the new controls and guidelines, particularly Schedule 11 Procedures for demonstrating compliance with variation provisions for setbacks, separations and tapering, proposed for the Development Control Plan component of the CSPS.   

It is our experience that Schedule 11 is overly prescriptive and not in keeping with the intention for flexibility. This level of complexity can be difficult for designers to interpret and in turn provides challenges for feasibility testing and subsequent disincentive to the market.  

Council has commenced workshops with key stakeholders allowing engagement and feedback in relation to some of the more complex matters associated with the Schedule 11 provisions.  At one such workshop led by the Property Council, a key focus has been to ensure that the intent of achieving good urban amenity outcomes is not undermined by overly complicated and inflexible provisions.  

Local Environmental Plan Review

The City is preparing another Local Government Area wide update to the Local Environmental Plan planning controls which will work in collaboration with CSPS. The updated Plan will implement the recent Local Strategic Planning Statement – City Plan 2036 (LSPS) which sets the local planning priorities for the next 15 years.  Focus areas include strategic growth and employment opportunities for: 

• Botany Road Corridor
• Oxford Street
• North Alexandria

Improved and new controls to:

• protect and conserve heritage areas. 
• introduce a net-zero energy pathway for development.
• reinforce the role of Enterprise Areas.

Council has developed performance standards to deliver net zero energy buildings for new office, multi-unit residential, hotel and shopping centre developments, as well as major refurbishments of existing buildings. These improvements can be made through adopting energy efficiency as well as through on-site and offsite renewable energy.

The Implementation will occur over two phases, commencing for Development Applications lodged from 2023, and the second phase applying from 2026.  It will be necessary to provide off-site renewable energy to meet Phase Two targets. 

We anticipate public exhibition for the Local Environmental Plan amendments from mid-2021.

Our team of experts will keep you updated on progress of Sydney CBD planning reforms. We also wish to note at this stage that we anticipate key policy initiatives or public exhibition timeframes will occur prior to end of July and are therefore unlikely to be impacted by Council elections in September 2021.

For further information on Sydney CBD planning reforms and how these may affect your project, please contact: