Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) and State Significant Development (SSD)

The NSW Government has introduced planning pathways aimed at fast tracking the delivery of new housing across the state. These pathways are known as the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) and State Significant Development (SSD) pathways.

These pathways allow certain large developments with residential components to be assessed by the NSW Government rather than Council. Council is not part of the decision-making process. Instead, Council may lodge a submission at the same time as community members.

What is the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA)?

The Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) is a panel consisting of the:

  • Secretary of the Premier’s Department,
  • Secretary of the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure and the
  • Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure NSW.

They are empowered by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure through the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

Since the HDA’s creation in January 2025, they have facilitated a new pathway for residential development to be declared as State Significant Development.

How the HDA process operates

  1. Any applicant in NSW can submit an expression of interest to the HDA to seek nomination of their development as State Significant Development.
  2. The HDA considers the application against published criteria (including high residential dwelling yield numbers and proximity to public transport) and provides a recommendation to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces on whether to support the development proceeding as a State Significant Development.
  3. The Minister (or delegate) will consider the HDA’s recommendation and may declare it as a State Significant Development.
  4. If supported, the project may proceed via a State Significant Development pathway and benefit from fast tracked processing timeframes.

The full eligibility criteria list can be viewed on the NSW Government’s website.

What is State Significant Development (SSD)?

State Significant Development (SSD) refers to major development projects that are considered important to the state due to their size, economic value or strategic significance to the state. In recent years, criteria has expanded to include smaller scale residential development.

SSD applications are assessed and determined by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces (or delegate) within the NSW Government.

SSDs are typically:

  • Development from certain industries (e.g. mines, factories, power stations, schools, hospitals), generally due to their size, economic value or potential impacts,
  • Development on sites with strategic planning significance (e.g. Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Olympic Park), or
  • Development declared as SSD by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces after being recommended as such by the HDA.

When declared via the HDA process, the SSD can also propose a simultaneous change to the planning controls for the land, including land zone, maximum building height and floor space ratio. This is known as ‘concurrent rezoning’.

Proposed HDA and SSD Developments in Waverley

HDA and SSD proposals can affect land in the Waverley local government area.

The NSW Government will publish project information on its Planning Portal.

The community will have an opportunity to review the proposal and provide feedback during the public exhibition period. Council provides feedback during this same public exhibition period.

HDA SSD Process

HDA SSD Process in chart form

Waverley Council’s Role

HDA and SSD proposals are assessed by the NSW Government. Council is not involved in assessing the application. Council’s involvement in the process includes:

  • Being notified by the NSW Government when a site is declared an SSD. The declaration is published publicly.
  • Being invited to comment on the development of the SEARS.
  • Providing a formal submission to the NSW Government during the public exhibition period.
  • Informing the community when proposals are publicly exhibited and can provide feedback directly to the NSW Government.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes, all SSD proposals must be publicly exhibited. Residential SSDs are exhibited for 14 days, rather than the 28 days for other SSDs. During this period, the community and Council can write submissions and submit it to the NSW Government.

Submissions are considered as part of the assessment process.

Waverley Council will provide updates through our Have Your Say website when applications have been lodged as SSD applications.

Residents will then be directed to the NSW Government website to submit their objection.

On the NSW Government website, there is publicly available information available on the relevant details such as the height, FSR and proposed dwelling numbers. See the published records here.

To view applications that have been declared as SSD via the HDA process, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Housing Delivery Authority page here.
  2. Scroll down to the heading ‘Project summary’.
  3. Go to the ‘Search’ tab.
  4. Change the tab ‘Filter by’ to Waverley.

Any expressions of interest application which have been declared as State Significant Development by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and have progressed beyond this declaration will have all relevant information available for public viewing on the NSW Planning Portal.

To view this information visit the Major Projects section on the NSW Government website.

Please note that this will bring up all State Significant Development applications in Waverley, including those which weren’t considered by the HDA but eligible for the SSD pathway through other means. This will contain all applications, including recently submitted and determined.

To find out more information about SSDs process visit the State Significant development section on the NSW Government website.

To find out more information about HDAs visit the Housing Development Authority section on the NSW Government website.