New dwelling approval data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics has shown a massive 32% rise in the number of dwellings approved in NSW during the month of December over the previous month.
But the news is not so great for the NSW Planning System, according to property development industry group Urban Taskforce Australia.
A detailed review showed a modest return from a historic low month of approvals in NSW in the month of November.
“To be fair, when you at the nadir of performance, any improvement is welcome and that is what we have seen here in NSW,” the taskforce said in a media release. “There is no doubt that the new minister for planning, Hon Anthony Roberts, has a big job to do to turn the NSW planning system around. Prices continue to grow. Affordability continues to fall.”
Urban Taskforce Australia added that it “remains confusing and disappointing that Victoria continues to dramatically outperform NSW when it comes to approvals of new homes.”
A big area of decline has been in approvals for entry-level apartments, with millennials having suffered the most under the planning policies of the last three years, the group said.
