Councils across NSW should actively engage in the State Government’s consultation on three newly released draft strategic planning documents according to the State’s peak Local Government body.
New Local Government NSW (LGNSW) president Mayor Darcy Byrne is encouraging all councils to take part in the consultation process on the three draft documents, which closes on 27 February 2026.
Minister Scully launched the long-awaited draft Sydney Plan on 10 December, proposing new guidance for Greater Sydney’s growth over the next two decades.
The draft plan was released alongside two other documents – a new Approach to Strategic Planning Discussion Paper and a Statewide Policy for Industrial Lands.
These documents are on exhibition until the end of February and seek to underpin the State Government’s major policy reforms in housing, affordable housing, industrial lands, vibrancy, infrastructure delivery and resilience.
“Councils have long been calling for a focus on strategic planning as well as the need for democratically elected councils to make decisions about local development. The release of this draft plan for Greater Sydney and the proposed new land use planning framework for NSW is a positive step in that direction,” Mayor Byrne said.
“Communities will thrive when strategic planning is accompanied by fair investment in services and infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, roads, transport, parks, libraries and green space,” said Mayor Byrne. “It’s also essential that vital employment, industrial, and agricultural lands are protected.”
The draft Sydney Plan proposes requiring the NSW Government to deliver an Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme toolkit to support councils to fast-track the preparation and adoption of an affordable housing contribution scheme. It also seeks to require all Sydney councils to prepare and adopt an Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme.
Mayor Byrne said the draft Sydney Plan’s focus on affordable housing was important.
“LGNSW will engage with councils to understand their views on this proposed mandate. Councils resolved at the 2025 Annual Conference for the NSW Government to encourage and fund NSW councils to implement Affordable Housing Contributions Schemes to ensure councils can better contribute to tackling the national housing crisis. Some councils have already done so, providing for much needed affordable housing for their communities,” Mayor Byrne said.
“It’s critical that local government has this seat at the table in planning for the future. We trust the Government will ensure council and community feedback is taken on board and genuinely informs the final versions of these critically important plans. I note too that the Sydney Plan is the first of four regional plans which will set out the strategic planning directions for all of NSW,” Mayor Byrne said.
“Councils across NSW will be keen to ensure the plans sensibly respond to the unique needs, economies, industries, communities and topographies of their regions. I can assure the government that councils across the state stand ready to work with them to provide informed and strategic direction to planning across NSW,” he said.
The Draft Sydney Plan, New Approach to Strategic Planning Discussion Paper and the Statewide Policy for Industrial Lands and associated documents can be viewed on the NSW Government website:
• Draft Sydney Plan
• A new approach to strategic planning discussion paper
• Draft Statewide Policy for Industrial Lands
