Planning Reform Welcomed as Industry Calls for Faster Approvals
Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia
Key Facts:- Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has welcomed the establishment of the NSW Government's Development Coordination Authority (DCA), which aims to provide a single coordinated response to major planning proposals within 28 days.
- CCAA emphasised that quarries, concrete batch plants, cement facilities and freight corridors are essential infrastructure and must be recognised as such within the planning system.
- The organisation warned that pushing material supply further from growth areas raises costs, increases emissions and delays project delivery, calling for faster and more predictable approvals for construction materials supply chains.
- CCAA called for the DCA to be supported by clear performance measures, transparent reporting and effective mechanisms to resolve agency disagreements, with the principle of assess once, decide once.
- CCAA will continue advocating for a NSW Heavy Construction Materials Plan, noting the cement, concrete and aggregates industry contributes $4.27 billion to the NSW economy and supports more than 19,000 jobs.
Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has welcomed the commencement of the NSW Government's Development Coordination Authority (DCA), saying it is a positive step towards a more coordinated planning system but must deliver faster, clearer decisions for projects that support housing and infrastructure.
CCAA Chief Executive Officer Michael Kilgariff said establishing the DCA as a single point of contact for NSW Government planning advice should improve certainty for industry, councils and communities.
"The Development Coordination Authority is a practical and welcome reform, but success will be measured by decisions, not processes," Mr Kilgariff said.
"NSW cannot deliver more homes, transport, schools, hospitals and renewable energy projects unless the materials needed to build them are available when and where they're needed.
"Quarries, concrete batch plants, cement facilities and freight corridors are essential enabling infrastructure and should be recognised as such in the planning system."
The NSW Government has said the DCA will provide a single coordinated response to major planning proposals within 28 days and help resolve post-consent issues.
Mr Kilgariff said the same coordinated approach should apply to strategically important heavy construction materials projects.
"A faster approvals system for housing must be matched by a faster and more predictable approvals pathway for the construction materials supply chain," he said.
"When material supply is pushed further from growth areas, costs rise, emissions increase and projects take longer to deliver."
CCAA said the DCA should be supported by clear performance measures, transparent reporting and effective mechanisms to resolve agency disagreements.
"The principle should be simple: assess once, decide once and get projects moving," Mr Kilgariff said.
"The cement, concrete and aggregates industry contributes $4.27 billion to the NSW economy and supports more than 19,000 jobs. Securing local supplies of heavy construction materials is critical to achieving the State's housing, infrastructure and energy ambitions."
Mr Kilgariff said CCAA would continue advocating for a NSW Heavy Construction Materials Plan to protect strategic resources, preserve freight corridors and provide greater certainty for investment.
"NSW has plans for housing and infrastructure. It also needs a plan for the building materials required to deliver them.
"We look forward to working with the NSW Government and the Development Coordination Authority to ensure planning reform supports both housing delivery and the materials supply chain that makes it possible."
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About CCAA
CCAA is the voice of Australia’s heavy construction materials industry, an industry that contributes $20.7 billion to GDP and supports 112,970 jobs nationwide. CCAA members produce most of Australia's cement, concrete and aggregates, which are essential to the nation’s building and construction sectors.
Contact details:
Contact: Mitch Itter, Manager Communications | 0431 542 660 | [email protected]