NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI)

Assesses state significant development and infrastructure

Assesses development declared to be state significant, and critical state significant infrastructure, issuing assessment requirements, exhibiting environmental impact statements and preparing the assessment report for the consent authority.

Responsibilities

Issue Secretary's environmental assessment requirements (SEARs)
Exhibit environmental impact statements and receive submissions
Coordinate agency advice and require a submissions report
Prepare the assessment report and recommendation
Determine, or refer to the Minister or the Independent Planning Commission

Operates under

Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW), Divisions 4.7 and 5.2

The state significant pathway is faster than the council pathway for large projects for a reason worth stating precisely: it is not that the assessment is lighter. It is that one body coordinates every referral, and the applicant is not exposed to a sequence of separate authorities each with their own queue.

That is a coordination gain, not a scrutiny reduction, and it is the single clearest illustration of the distinction this database is built on.

The same body assesses critical state significant infrastructure, which is the pathway high speed rail must use in NSW at the same time as it satisfies the Commonwealth under the EPBC Act.

Where this body appears in a process

Every point at which NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure can hold something up, and why.

Process	Step	Why it waits	Clock	Typical
Environmental and planning approval for high speed rail — Newcastle to Sydney	Secretary's environmental assessment requirements (NSW) referral	assessment	—	90
Environmental and planning approval for high speed rail — Newcastle to Sydney	Public exhibition of the environmental impact statement (NSW) notification	statutory	28	45
Environmental and planning approval for high speed rail — Newcastle to Sydney	NSW assessment report assessment	assessment	—	150
Environmental and planning approval for high speed rail — Newcastle to Sydney	NSW infrastructure approval decision	assessment	—	60
A container terminal is approved at an Australian port	State planning approval assessment	assessment	—	540
Build a major transmission line — sequential easement pathway	State planning approval and environmental assessment decision	assessment	—	1000
Build a multi storey apartment building via the Housing Delivery Authority — New South Wales	Secretary's environmental assessment requirements referral	assessment	—	45
Build a multi storey apartment building via the Housing Delivery Authority — New South Wales	Lodge the application application	applicant	—	5
Build a multi storey apartment building via the Housing Delivery Authority — New South Wales	Public exhibition notification	statutory	28	28
Build a multi storey apartment building via the Housing Delivery Authority — New South Wales	Departmental assessment assessment	assessment	—	120
Build a multi storey apartment building via the Housing Delivery Authority — New South Wales	Determination decision	assessment	—	30
Deliver a new public hospital — New South Wales	Planning approval as state significant development decision	assessment	—	300