Builder David O’Brien says that doing business via an NSW council that lasts longer than all others in the state to process development applications, has cost him millions of lost work.
Figures from the NSW Department of Planning show that Wingcarribee Shire Council needs an average of 238 days to decide a developmental request, longer than any other council in the state.
Mr. O’Brien, who made customized, area homes in the southern highlands, said that the approval process of the council was “very dysfunctional”.
“[The delays] Increase the costs of the build to the customer, “said Mr. O’Brien.
David O’Brien wants Wingecarribee Council to be stripped of his planning assessment powers. ((Delivered))
He said that his company had lost to $ 5 million in work for the past four or five years, because customers could not afford to continue the cost increase with delays with the council.
“[The delays are] Increasing the costs of the build for the customer, who then cannot get financing if they have made a pre -approval, “he said.
“So customers can’t build because … their finances [have] Fallen and they cannot apply again. “
The resident of Mittagong said that early stages of a build, such as sewer and driveway approvals, lasted too long and often without a valid reason.
“Other councils do it [these approvals] In three weeks, “he said.
“This council lasts three to six months.”
Slowest in the state
Wingcarribee is one of the six NSW councils recently Ordered by Foreign Minister Paul Scully to accelerate or be stripped of their assessment powers.
Other councils were the Georges River, Willoughby, Sutherland, North Sydney and Queanbeyan-Palerang.
Wingecarribee Shire Council services Large cities, including Bowral and Moss Vale. ((ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss))
Mr. Scully set up a 115 -day benchmark in the entire state in July to help work by a disadvantage of applications and tackling the home crisis.
But he said that guess, including Wingcarribee, “did not perform well”.
“This is one of the reasons why I asked, and there are six councils in question, to explain what is going on and what they can do to solve that,” said Mr. Scully.
Paul Scully says that a planning manager can be appointed. ((ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez))
Each of the councils has given three weeks to implement an action plan to improve the processing of the application processing.
If there was no improvement, he said that the government could impose an order of the performance improvement and appoint a planning manager.
“[They] would continue with what could be done and to ensure that they get the council back on track, “
Said Mr. Scully.
It was the first time that he had given a direction to possibly punish councils because they did not achieve their goals.
“I think it’s in everyone’s interest,” he said.
Workplace culture to blame
Wingecarribee Shire Council was fired in 2022 and placed in administration after financial and workplace.
A publicly chosen council was introduced last September.
Mr. O’Brien said that a “bad culture of mistreating staff” was the fault of the slowness of the council.
“They were probably functional 15 years ago when they had a number of senior assessors there,” he said.
Mr. O’Brien called on the assessment rights of the Council immediately withdrawn.
“The planning approvals must be with the private sector [where] Outsourcing advice to private certifications to get approval, “he said.
“If [the council] Were a public enterprise, if they rely on service to get more work, they would not have a job.
“Nobody would use them.”
Wingecarribee Shire Council has been asked to explain the application process of the development application. ((ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez))
A maximum of 80 municipal employees held a meeting last month with the United Services Union that claims a number of problems in the workplace, including a culture of bullying and intimidation, and the absenteeism to treat wounded employees respectfully.
A hearing between both parties took place on Wednesday in the Industrial Relations Commission.
Wingecarribee Council said in a statement that it had reached a staff turnover of 14 percent in the last three years, in accordance with the industrial standards.
“These results emphasize the positive culture and professional opportunities that we continue to build in our team,” said the explanation.
Council claims improvements on its way
Phyllis Miller from the NSW Local Government Association said she hoped that the Minister’s guideline would help.
Phyllis Miller hopes that the benefits will arise from the action of the state government. ((Delivered))
She said that unnecessary development applications could hide the planning systems of the councils.
“We must learn to have mothers and fathers by having pre da meetings, so that they know exactly what they need when they use a DA,”
she said.
“It will make the work of the state government and our work a lot easier.”
Wingcarribee Council said in a statement that the earlier challenges in application processing recognized, but “has made significant improvements to delays”.
“Since July 2024, the Council has determined 300 DAS, in 34th place of 128 NSW councils, and now processes more Das than it receives every month,” the Council said.
“In February 2025, 50 percent of the determined Das met the minister’s time frame, with further improvements that were expected in the coming months.”
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