What new hazard is being recognized in NSW planning laws?

Extreme heat is now being formally recognized as a planning hazard in New South Wales, alongside floods and bushfires.

What changes could affect new home construction in NSW?

Developers could soon be required to avoid heat-absorbing materials, like dark rooftops, when building new homes in NSW.

What are the potential financial impacts of new NSW planning rules?

While aiming to reduce future damage costs, the new requirements raise concerns within the development industry about increased costs and slower approvals for new homes.

Home / Environment / NSW Homes Face Heatproofing Mandate

NSW Homes Face Heatproofing Mandate

17 Mar

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Summary

Extreme heat now a planning hazard in NSW.
New laws could mandate cooler building materials.
Development cost concerns rise with new rules.

New South Wales is set to formally recognize extreme heat as a planning hazard, similar to floods and bushfires. Proposed changes to the state's climate change and natural hazards planning policy could lead to developers being mandated to use less heat-absorbing materials, such as lighter-colored rooftops, for new homes. This significant policy shift aims to tackle rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect, particularly in rapidly growing suburbs.

The move is a response to modelling that predicts natural disaster damage to the built environment could cost NSW up to $9.1 billion annually by 2060 if no mitigation strategies are implemented. However, these proposed requirements come as NSW faces pressure to deliver 377,000 new dwellings by 2029 under the National Housing Accord. The development industry has expressed concerns that these additional planning stipulations could lead to increased construction costs and slower approval processes.

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