I need approval for a project

State significant development is a category of development under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) for projects considered to have State-level significance, such as larger or specified types of development identified in State Environmental Planning Policy (Planning Systems) 2021. For SSD the consent authority is generally the Minister (or the Independent Planning Commission or a delegate), rather than the local council, and an environmental impact statement is usually required. Whether a particular project is SSD depends on the relevant criteria and thresholds, which generally turn on the type, scale and location of the development and should be checked against the current instruments.

The decision-maker depends on the approval pathway. Many local development applications are determined by the council or a Local Planning Panel, while State significant development is generally determined by the Minister, a delegate or the Independent Planning Commission. The arrangements for larger development previously treated as regionally significant are in transition under recent NSW planning reforms, so the correct consent authority depends on the facts and the rules applying at the time and is best confirmed for the specific project.

Integrated development is development that needs development consent and also one or more specified approvals under other legislation, such as certain licences or permits, as set out in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW). General terms of approval for those other approvals are obtained before consent is granted, and the consent must be consistent with them. Concurrence refers to situations where another body's agreement is required before consent can be granted. For applications lodged from 1 July 2026, much of the State's input on these matters is coordinated through the Development Coordination Authority, which issues general terms of approval and provides concurrences and advice that were previously sought from individual agencies. Which approvals and concurrences it handles depends on the legislation involved. Whether a project is integrated development or requires concurrence depends on what other approvals it triggers, so the specific requirements need to be confirmed for the particular site and proposal.

Sometimes. Separately from NSW planning consent, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) can require Commonwealth approval where a project is likely to have a significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance, such as listed threatened species or wetlands of international importance. Whether federal assessment and approval are triggered generally depends on the nature and location of the impacts, which usually need to be assessed on the facts, so any Commonwealth issues are commonly considered alongside the State pathway.