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Development and Assessment

Special areas

Some areas have unique qualities that need special planning and development assessment provisions

 There are statutory and non-statutory plans that guide the way these areas are developed and managed and allow for special planning.

Strategic Plans

Strategic plans provide the strategic direction for productivity, environmental management, liveability, and the location of housing, employment, infrastructure and open space. The plans also provide the context for development assessment. The below Strategic plans have been issued in NSW:

Statutory Policies

A number of State environmental planning policies (SEPPs) provide the planning rules for some areas of the State to protect certain environmental values or promote a particular mix of development types for the area. SEPPs can be viewed in the Planning Portal, or from the NSW Legislation website.

Environmental Matters

There are many environmental assessment policies relating to land, water, people, built environment and air in NSW that must be considered in the planning process.

Environmental assessment policies give us a better understanding of important environmental matters related to development assessment and how they should be addressed. These policies and guidelines fall into five key areas:

  • people - amenity, health and safety, heritage, social and economic factors
  • built environment - infrastructure, industrial, commercial, residential
  • land - flora, fauna, landforms, terrestrial environmental quality
  • water - hydrological processes, water quality
  • air - air quality and atmospheric gases, odour.

State Environmental Planning Policies (SEPPs) provide the planning rules for environmental matters, and contain development controls to protect or manage certain environmental values.

View SEPPs 

Last updated: 13/03/2024

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