Established in 2016, the Greater Sydney Commission was initially formed under the (now repealed) Greater Sydney Commission Act 2015 (NSW), its purpose was to act as a central state government agency to assist local and state governments in the collective planning and development of the Greater Sydney Region.
Recent amendments under the Greater Cities Commission Act 2022
With the continuous growth of the population and demand for accessibility, the Greater Cities Commission Act 2022 (NSW) (Act) was introduced to expand the Greater Sydney Region to include three new cities. As such, there are now six cities managed by the new Greater Cities Commission (Commission) as follow:- [1]
- Eastern Harbour City,
- Central River City,
- Central Coast City,
- Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle City,
- Western Parkland City,
- Illawarra-Shoalhaven City.
The Commission’s goal is to facilitate the planning and development of all six cities, to achieve more accessibility to jobs, transport and health facilities for every person within each city. To that end, each city will have an appointed City Commissioner who will possess knowledge in the relevant area of expertise, to represent the needs of each city.[2]
The key objectives of the Commission include:-[3]
- to lead metropolitan planning for the Six Cities Region;
- to promote orderly development in the Six Cities Region, integrating social, economic and environmental considerations with regard to the principles of ecologically sustainable development contained in s6(2) of Protection of the Environment Administration Act 1991 (NSW);
- to promote the alignment of Government decision-making on infrastructure with land use planning;
- to promote the supply of housing, including affordable housing and a diversity of housing types;
- to encourage development that is resilient, including resilience in relation to climate change, and development that takes into account natural hazards;
- to support ongoing improvement in productivity, liveability and environmental quality;
- to provide increased opportunity for public involvement and participation in environmental planning and assessment in the Six Cities Region, including the involvement and participation of First Nations peoples;
- to promote economic activity in the Six Cities Region by coordinating the delivery of key economic precincts.
To maintain timely implementation of their objectives, the Commissioners have a number of functions. They provide advice and recommendations to the Minister in regard to land use, infrastructure, planning, developments, and implementation of plans or proposals in the Six Cities Region. They must also provide reports on all these matters including progress and assurance reports, and any further information as requested by the administrating Minister or at the approved request of another Minister. Additionally, Government agencies have an obligation under s 11 of the Act to comply with any information requests from the Commissioners.
This amendment also has a greater focus on climate considerations and on involving First Nations peoples in the planning and implementation stages. The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) has also been amended by the Act to include targets for additional dwellings within a local government area in a proposed district plan.
[1] Greater Cities Commission Act 2022 (NSW) Schedule 1
[2] Ibid s6(1)(c)
[3] Ibid s9
