DA's for all! Why isn't the planning system simple?

As a building designer who focuses on apartment renovations in Sydney, I’ve seen just how complicated the NSW planning system has become. What should be a pretty simple process—letting people tweak their homes to better suit their needs—has turned into a bureaucratic nightmare. These days, even the smallest changes need a professional to help navigate the red tape.

The planning system is supposed to help our cities grow and evolve. It should make it easier for people to adapt their living spaces. But somewhere along the way, it feels like the system's purpose got a bit twisted. Instead of encouraging building, it’s become a tool to slow things down—or even stop them altogether. Sure, in some cases that’s necessary, but over the years, with all the extra rules and regulations piled on, the whole thing has become so complicated that the average person doesn’t stand a chance.

Think about it. Say you own an apartment and just want to make a small tweak to the layout—like removing part of a load-bearing wall to open up your living space. In theory, you should be able to handle the application process yourself—gathering the paperwork, submitting it through the planning portal, and talking to the right people. But in reality? It’s a headache. Figuring out what documents you need, which rules apply, and who to contact can feel impossible. So, what do most people do? They end up hiring architects, engineers, and town planners just to deal with the admin side of things. It shouldn’t be this hard.

A good planning system should be something everyday people can use. Sure, professionals like me will always be needed for the technical bits, but the process itself—submitting forms, knowing what’s required, tracking progress—shouldn’t be a full-time job. If the system were easier to use, homeowners would have more control over their projects, without having to fork out extra money just to get through the paperwork.

If more people actually tried to navigate the planning system themselves, they’d quickly see how much of a mess it is. Imagine if public participation increased by 50%—suddenly, a lot more people would be talking about how clunky and confusing the whole thing is. And maybe, just maybe, we’d finally see some real changes. Right now, it’s mostly frustrated professionals like me making noise, but if regular homeowners got involved, we might just get the momentum we need to fix things.

At the end of the day, the planning system should be working for us, not against us. It’s time to simplify things, cut through the complexity, and make it easier for people to create the homes they want—without all the unnecessary frustration.