The development approval process is complex and development must conform to a wide range of regulatory requirements from a variety of different governmental agencies. Principal amongst these is land use planning which sets the parameters for the development industry. The land use planning approvals process has become increasingly complex over recent decades and the system often fails to balance the competing demands of environmental, economic and social development effectively. Widespread duplication exists within the development approval process that is inefficient for government to manage and cumbersome for applications to navigate.
The UDIA calls for:
- A simplified and more efficient approvals process, that provides greater certainty, consistency and accountability in the development approval processes. The system should also have the ability to be flexible and respond to innovation.
- Effective strategic planning that provides an efficient supply of land to support growth and appropriately links communities with infrastructure.
- The investigation of a risk based development assessment approach.