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Key Guidance

Post Approval

Learn about post approval matters and timeframes

Under the conditions of approval issued for State significant projects under the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979, proponents are required to submit a range of matters to the department for approval, agreement, review or information. These matters are commonly referred to as post approval matters.

Post approval matters cover a broad spectrum and may also relate to compliance with other regulatory instruments such as licences, leases and permits.

View the conceptual framework

For administrative purposes, the department has grouped all post approval matters relating to conditions of approval into seven different categories or types.

View the types of post approval documents

Improvements

The department is committed to improving the way it deals with all post approval matters.

This commitment includes:

  • providing a one-stop-shop for all post approval matters
  • dealing with all matters online via the Major Projects Website
  • encouraging proponents to submit better post approval documents
  • carrying out a robust assessment of each matter as quickly as possible
  • ensuring compliance with the conditions of approval
  • publishing all key post approval documents online
  • reducing end-to-end post approval timeframes
  •  monitoring and publicly reporting on the Department’s performance.

Major Projects Website

The department will deal with all post approval matters online via the Major Projects Website.

The website allows proponents to:

  •  lodge all post approval matters online
  • consult directly with agencies using the website
  • receive and respond to any requests for additional information online
  • track the progress of each matter against clear benchmarks

For information on how to lodge documents online, click here

The website allows the community to:

  • use the website as a single source or truth for all assessment and post approval matters 
  • view all approved post approval documents online.

Post Approval Timeframes

The department will complete all post approval matters as quickly as possible. To ensure this occurs, we have set targets for all post approval matters based on their complexity.

Complexity

Target

Complex

60 days

Regular

30 days

Minor or Administrative

14 days

These targets relate to the time spent in the department’s hands. We will report on its performance against these targets online at the end of each quarter.

Click here to view a description of the categories and some examples of each. 

Requirements for Proponents

To ensure all post approval matters are completed quickly, proponents must:

  • submit all documents online via the Major Projects Website
  • comply with the requirements in the conditions of approval
  • complete any consultation required under the conditions of approval
  • document what issues were raised during consultation and how these issues have been addressed
  • ensure all post approval documents are prepared to a high standard
  • comply with the department’s general requirements for all post approval documents.

For complex matters, the proponent should also include a conditions compliance table identifying the relevant conditions of approval and how they have been addressed in the document.

If the proponent is submitting a revised document for approval, it should clearly identify all revisions either by highlighting the relevant sections or showing tracked changes.

Guidance for Infrastructure Projects

The department has prepared the following  post approval guidance for Infrastructure projects. 

Environmental Management Plan Guideline for Infrastructure Projects

This guideline identifies the information that should be provided in an EMP, and sets out the department's expectations for lodgment, approval and publication. 

View the Guideline

View the Factsheet

Engagement Terms Guideline

This guideline defines key engagement terminology used in consents and approvals. It provides guidance on the department's expectations when proponents and required to inform or notify, to consult or seek feedback or to seek the approval of stakeholders. 

View the Guideline

Seeking Approval of Independent Experts

This document outlines matters the department will consider when approving the appointment of independent experts. 

View the Guideline

Rejecting Documents

The department will reject any documents that are manifestly inadequate within 7 days of receipt. This includes documents that are incomplete, poorly written or fail to deal with the requirements of the relevant conditions of approval.

If documents are rejected, proponents must address the flaws in the documents and resubmit them to the department.

Requiring Additional Information

Following review, the department may request additional information from proponents or require changes to documents. Proponents should respond to these requests as quickly as possible.

If these requests relate to matters that are material to decision-making, the department will stop the clock.  Any time spent waiting for the proponent to respond will be excluded from our timeframes.

Last updated: 17/07/2023

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