Wingecarribee Shire Council Making Progress on DA Processing Times

Published on 13 March 2025

Woman in backyard looking at house extension works

Wingecarribee Shire Council is making steady progress in improving the speed and efficiency of Development Application (DA) assessments, with a strong focus on reducing delays and clearing the backlog. 

Since July 2024, Council has determined 300 DAs, ranking 34th out of 128 councils in NSW. In February 2025 alone, Council processed more DAs than it received, with 46 applications determined compared to 38 new submissions. Encouragingly, 50% of these were finalised within the Minister’s expected timeframe, a significant step forward. 

To sustain this progress, Council is investing in additional staff, including cadet planners, and exploring artificial intelligence (AI) tools to streamline assessments for greater speed and accuracy. 

“We’ve made significant progress in improving DA processing times, and in just three months, we’ll be very close to our goal. By our one-year anniversary, I’m confident we will reach 62% of DAs meeting the Minister’s standards. A key challenge has been the high staff turnover in our planning team, which affected our knowledge base. Now, with a nearly full team and five outstanding cadet planners, we are building capacity and improving efficiency. I understand the community’s frustration, but we have been working tirelessly behind the scenes, and the benefits of these efforts will be seen in the coming months,” said Mayor Fitzpatrick. 

Residents can stay informed by reviewing Council meeting agendas, which provide monthly updates on DA performance.  

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