Two major digital initiatives introduced by the NSW Government are set to help bring more homes online sooner through increased transparency and better infrastructure planning.

The NSW Land Subdivision Pipeline dataset gives NSW Government agencies, as well as local councils, developers and prospective home buyers comprehensive access to the latest approved subdivision activity.

This information helps coordinate and streamline infrastructure planning decisions such as the location of new schools or roads, as well as early planning for the construction of essential services like electricity, gas and telecommunications.

Local councils will also be able to more easily assess development applications in the context of future and nearby development activity, while purchasers of new properties will be able to track the progress of their subdivision and check the status of regulatory approvals.  

In addition to its immediate applications, the project will expand to include 3D strata subdivision mapping and be extended to cover all housing activity through the consent, construction, and occupation stages, ensuring continued improvements in housing development oversight.

The registration of land ready for development has also been made more efficient with survey plan lodgements now 100 per cent online.

Survey plans for subdivisions, strata and community scheme plans are essential for creating new parcels of land, defining land boundaries and facilitating property transactions.

Around 13,000 deposited plans and 1,600 strata plans were lodged with the NSW Land Registry Services in 2023/24, and while the majority of plans were lodged electronically, some submissions were still being done on paper. This included compiling hardcopy documents and submitting them in person, which was labour intensive and could contribute to delays.

This milestone is a crucial step in the government’s Digital Survey Plans reform, which focuses on replacing manual and paper-based methods with digitised processes.

The NSW Land Subdivision Pipeline can be viewed on the NSW Government’s Spatial Digital Twin Explorer.

A data feed is also available via the NSW Spatial Collaboration Portal.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, said, “By showing, in real time, where homes are being built and what’s coming next this new platform will help streamline infrastructure planning for roads, schools, and utilities.

“The NSW Land Subdivision Pipeline harnesses modern digital capabilities to improve efficiency and decision-making across government and industry.

“By leveraging spatial and planning data, we are reducing duplication, saving costs, and creating a more coordinated approach to land and property development, ultimately helping us deliver more homes faster.

“This builds on continued improvements to plannings digital interfaces and the introduction of artificial intelligence tools and ongoing improvements to the planning portal.”

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Jihad Dib, said, “Public access to the NSW Land Subdivision Pipeline dataset enables everyone from homebuyers, councils, and government to plan more effectively and assists in delivering new homes faster, in a more coordinated way.

“For the first time, everyone can see the same live map of housing development. You can go online, click on your area, and see what’s being planned for your community.

“It’s a single source of truth. Instead of departments and developers working off different spreadsheets, now everyone’s looking at the same map – avoiding delays and duplication.”