How long does it take for a Development Application to be determined by Council?

Council receives and determines over 1000 Development Applications per year as well as numerous related applications such as Subdivision Works Certificates, Construction Certificates and Subdivision Certificates. There may be times when Council’s resources are stretched resulting in minor delays to processing your application.

For Development Applications, such as alterations and additions to dwellings, our target processing time is 60 days (excluding stop the clock, where additional information has been requested).

More complex Development Applications, or applications that attract a high level of community interest, generally take longer to assess and they may need to be determined by the Hornsby Local Planning Panel or the Sydney North Planning Panel. The target for reporting to these Panels is 180 days.

Council’s median processing time for the assessment of Development Applications for the financial year 2021/2022 was 46 days.

To assist Council in determining your application more quickly please ensure your Development Application is complete, containing all of the required information before submitting through the ePlanning Portal. Information required to be submitted with a Development Application can be found by reviewing the Development Application Submission Guide.