State Significant Projects

A project can become State Significant Development (SSD) in two ways under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 - by declaration in a State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) or by Ministerial Order.

A full list of State Significant Applications in the Singleton Local Government Area can be found on the NSW Government's Planning Portal.

SEPP

A SEPP may declare any development, or class or description of development, to be SSD.

Most SSD is identified in Chapter 2 of the Planning Systems SEPP, and includes:

  • development from certain industries (e.g. mines, factories, power stations, schools, hospitals), generally due to their size, economic value or potential impacts; and
  • development on sites with strategic planning significance (e.g. Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Olympic Park).

Other SEPPs, such as Chapter 5 of the Transport and Infrastructure SEPP, also identify SSD.

Ministerial Order

The NSW Minister for Planning can directly "call in" a specific project and declare it to be SSD by publishing a ministerial planning order (under Section 4.36 of the Act) or use their power for a discretionary review for unique, complex, or large-scale projects that do not automatically fit a SEPP threshold (including pathways coordinated through initiatives like the Housing Delivery Authority).

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