Western Plains App recently reported on the call from the Country Mayor's Association's for the state government not to forget the heart of New South Wales in the upcoming September Budget, with regard to increasing housing in regional areas.

A proposed strategy, called "Building Country Homes," would see the state government and the state's 92 regional councils both contribute $100 million each to construct new housing in regional and rural areas that are most in need.

The idea has garnered support from across Western Plains LGA's who want roadblocks to housing supply removed and better enablement to fast-track development in the region. These roadblocks include the lack of qualified staff and the controversial Biodiversity Offset Scheme (BDOS)

Lachlan Shire Mayor, John Medcalf has thrown his support behind plans for new housing, saying that, since Covid and changing the way we work, there has been ongoing pressure to relocate to the regions.

Slow approval processes

"If you add to that the significant construction activity in Central NSW and its proximity to Sydney and Canberra – the need for more housing is particularly acute," Mr Medcalf said. "There are so many ways that the government can help besides direct funding. As a member of the Country Mayors Association, I totally support the call for the Building Country Homes Program to be part of the September State Budget.”

Mr Medcalf said councils are short-staffed while struggling with the regulatory framework as they try to fast-track existing development applications and building certificates.

“We know we need to move faster, but it is so very hard when wading through red tape," he said. "The State has gone completely silent on its mandatory Planning Portal. Everyone struggles with this in regional NSW. Developers loathe it and Council has had to direct additional staff resources, to help manage this clunky process that takes at least three times as long to process a development application. As a result of managing problems, like the State Planning Portal and the State Biodiversity Offset Scheme (BDOS), councils need more staff."

Craig Davies, Mayor of Narromine Shire has been particularly vocal about what he sees as the negative effect of the BDOS on housing growth in the regions

Biodiversity Offset Scheme

"The Biodiversity Offset Scheme is stifling the growth opportunities for our area," Mr Davies said.

In simple terms, the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme was developed to help offset the impact of development activities on the NSW's biodiversity. Under the scheme, developers are required to avoid or minimize the impact of their activities on biodiversity. If this is not possible, they must provide biodiversity offsets to compensate for the loss or damage caused by their development.

"We pay people to come up with this lunacy," Mr Davies said. "It is nothing but a tax on development in rural and regional NSW."

Mr Davies cites a proposed past development in Bourke as the perfect example of the negative effects the BDOS has.

"In 2018, Bourke Council decided to develop six and twelve hectare blocks for commercial purposes," he said.

"In a place where there was 9.5 per cent unemployment, this development could have been a real kick start for the community. But under the Biodiversity Offset Scheme regulations, buyers of these blocks would have been passed on the costs of what is considered environmental damage or changes to the block as assessed by BDOS staff. In this case, the development BDOS costs were estimated at $480000 per block which is clearly ridiculous."

Lack of qualified staff

If red tape wasn't enough, councils also struggle with finding qualified employees.

Mr Medcalf said building surveyors are getting "as rare as hens’ teeth,"

"We are asking the NSW Government to extend the type of programs they have to grow and support workforce for planners to building surveyors. This includes funded and supported training pathways. If the NSW Government could give some serious thought to streamlining processes and filling the gaps in workforce shortages, regional Councils will be able to do so much more not just in times of crisis – like at the moment – but for every other year into the future.”

At the moment there is a "Flying Squad" set up by the Department of Planning to help with these shortages and process development applications, but Mr Medcalf said this is not enough.

"(State Government) needs to open its door wider to the needs of Councils including diversifying their assistance to other complex developments to keep up with the continuing development pressure.”

So while the CMA plans to present the NSW Government with a document listing the top five priorities for rural and regional New South Wales and includes some very clear ways forward, particularly around housing, it is still very much as case of "watch this space."