Understanding the HDA Pathway in NSW: What Developers Need to Know
The Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) offers a state-led approval pathway for major residential housing projects in Sydney and regional NSW. It moves eligible proposals out of the local council development application process and into State Significant Development (SSD) assessment, in some cases with a concurrent rezoning.
It is not an automatic shortcut. Whether it pays off depends on the site, its housing uplift, and how well the project is set up before the Expression of Interest.
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What is the HDA?
Established by the NSW Government in late 2024 to support the National Housing Accord, the HDA sits within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI).
It reviews Expressions of Interest and recommends to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces whether a project should receive a State Significant Development declaration. Originally set up by Ministerial Order, it is being made permanent under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
Know whether your site qualifies for the HDA before you commit
The HDA considers residential and mixed-use developments, including residential flat buildings, shop-top housing, seniors housing and build-to-rent, above an estimated development cost of around $60 million in Greater Sydney and $30 million in regional NSW. It looks for projects where:
Land tenure is secure
There is a positive commitment to commence
The site has access to transport and services
Environmental hazards and constraints are manageable
The affordable housing commitment, rate and mechanism are clear
Sites held back by local council controls are encouraged to apply, provided the supporting infrastructure, such as transport and utilities, is in place.
HOW IT WORKS
The HDA process: eight steps, from feasibility to determination
Feasibility and pathway testing
Expression of Interest lodged through the NSW Planning Portal
HDA review and recommendation
SSD declaration by the Minister
Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) issued
Environmental Impact Statement prepared and lodged
Public exhibition and response to submissions
Assessment and determination by the Department
Realistic HDA timeframes, from EOI to determination
Allow 1-2 years from EOI to determination. A standard council DA takes around 1-2 years, so the advantage isn't always speed. It is the parallel planning pathway: where a site would otherwise need a separate rezoning first, running both together can cut months from the program.
A 275-day assessment target
From lodgement, the Department aims to complete the assessment and determination or referral within 275 days (which includes a 90-day government-day average target).
Faster EOI reviews, with a higher bar
Up until recent changes to the HDA pathway, there was a significant backlog of EOI's, taking approximately 6-8 months to review. Since July 2026, the HDA has required more detail at the EOI stage, including a concept design and massing study. Submissions have dropped sharply as a result, and response times have improved.
A nine-month window once SEARs are issued
Once SEARs are issued for an HDA-declared residential project, the Environmental Impact Statement must be prepared and lodged within nine months, after which the SEARs expire. Given the scope of an EIS, the full consultant team needs to be engaged before SEARs are issued, not after.
Plan for who will build it
Then there is who will build it. Simon Kassis, APM's Managing Director, expects a NSW builder shortage within two to three years, so on an HDA project builder selection belongs in the conversation from the start.
What the HDA costs, and where budgets usually slip
An SSD major residential project typically costs around 20% more to take through approval than a standard DA, largely because of the additional consultants involved, though this varies with site location. As a guide, consultant and approval costs start at around $600,000 for a simple SSDA and can reach $1.5 million on a complex project.
The overruns we see most often come from procurement rather than the pathway itself: consultants engaged without a written scope of services, without proper contracts, or on hourly rates with no cap.
HDA vs a council DA: choosing the right pathway for your site
The HDA suits high-yield housing sites that need a rezoning, or where scale makes local assessment a risk. Where a proposal already sits within the controls, the extra documentation can outweigh any time saved.
Why good sites still stall after the EOI
A site can work on paper and still stall after the EOI. The most common reasons are:
Height has to be justified. An EOI recommendation doesn't settle built form. Height still has to be tested against overshadowing, massing, amenity and infrastructure capacity.
Councils still have a voice. Local councils are consulted and can object to the application.
Build cost. The yield that justifies the pathway has to be deliverable at a construction cost the project can carry.
The affordable housing contribution. Typically 10% of the development for fifteen years, or 5% in perpetuity, which needs to be modelled in the feasibility before it is offered.
Take your project from EOI to completion with APM
APM is a client-side project manager. We treat a client's budget as we would our own.
Feasibility before the EOI
We test yield, floor space ratio, build cost, affordable housing and return, usually within a couple of days. On one regional project, this turned a 21-apartment scheme into 28 within the same footprint.
Structure and services before lodgement
Avoiding the redesign that slows SSD assessment.
Clear procurement
Every consultant engaged on a written scope and a proper contract.
End-to-end management
Of the consultant team, from EOI through DA, design development and construction.
Builder selection
Matched to the project's scale and product type.
Built for developers, family businesses and landowners
Developers, family businesses and landowners across Sydney and regional NSW, from established development companies to families bringing a significant site forward for the first time.
Test your site before you lodge an EOI
The best time to bring in a project manager is before the EOI, while the site and pathway can still be tested. If you're weighing up the HDA, we're happy to take a look.
Frequently Asked Questions
HDA NSW
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The HDA is a NSW Government body within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure that reviews Expressions of Interest for major residential developments and recommends whether they should be assessed as State Significant Development.
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No. The HDA recommends whether a project should receive an SSD declaration. The development application is then assessed and determined through the SSD process, and must still stand on its merits.
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Yes. The pathway allows SSD with a concurrent rezoning, so changes to the planning controls are considered alongside the development application rather than beforehand.
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Not necessarily. Its main advantages are certainty for large-scale housing and the ability to combine rezoning and assessment. On a site that already complies with its controls, the local council development application process can be the more efficient route.
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Residential and mixed-use developments, including residential flat buildings, shop-top housing, multi-dwelling housing, seniors housing and build-to-rent.
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An affordable housing commitment is part of the assessment criteria. It is generally 15% for ten years or 5% in perpetuity, and the EOI should set out the proposed rate and mechanism. That commitment should be tested in the feasibility before it is offered.
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Since July 2026, EOIs require more detail than before, including a concept design and massing study. The more resolved the proposal at EOI, the stronger its position through SEARs and assessment.
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Ideally at inception, once you have the site and before committing further. Engaging after the DA is still useful. Engaging mid-construction is the least effective point, because the decisions that shape cost and program have already been made.