The NSW Government has released a White Paper detailing proposed changes to the planning process in NSW. There are some significant changes to the development
consent process. For building owners and tenants, the building certification process is being strengthened. It is proposed that a broader group of occupations involved in the building design and construction process will require accreditation, certification of commissioning processes for critical building equipment will now be mandatory and improved levels of building documentation will be required via the legislation for provision of a building manual for the issue of an occupancy certificate.
The white paper is now open for public comment and can be reviewed here:
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/newplanningsystem