The NSW planning process is governed by a hierarchy of legislation and environmental planning instruments. At the top of the legislation hierarchy is the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (EPA) Act 1979, and then steps down to various types of plans including State Environmental Planning Policies, Local Environmental Plans and policies such as a Development Control Plan.

The planning legislation and environmental planning instruments are amended periodically so it is important that you access the most current version of the documents by downloading them directly from the NSW Legislation website.
If you would like more information about the current NSW planning process or the proposed changes to the planning system, visit the NSW Planning and Environment website.