UPDATE
For the latest information on this story watch https://fb.watch/Idxq1kHC4p/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Hawkesbury residents waiting for new planning rules that would permit detached dual occupancies on rural land will have to wait several more months, with Hawkesbury City Council confirming the proposal will not meet its original August deadline.
New information provided by Council's Director City Planning Monica Cologna to Councillor Nathan Zamprogno shows Council has formally requested an extension from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to complete the Planning Proposal.
The original Gateway Determination required the proposal to be completed by 25 August 2026.
However, Council has now sought an extension until 21 December 2026, with the Department indicating the request is expected to be approved.
The delay comes as Council incorporates significant changes to the proposal following both the draft Sydney Plan and recommendations from the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into reforms to facilitate second dwellings in rural areas.
Planning Proposal Updated
Ms Cologna confirmed the Planning Proposal has already been amended to address consistency with the draft Sydney Plan released in December 2025, as well as additional requirements imposed through the Gateway Determination.
Council has also updated the proposal to consider findings of the Parliamentary Inquiry released on 30 March 2026.
Those amendments include consideration of:
- environmental and natural hazard risks;
- potential land use conflicts; and
- infrastructure provision.
However, Council says further changes may still be required after the NSW Government releases its formal response to the Parliamentary Inquiry.
Not Yet Ready For Exhibition
Despite the original August completion target, residents will not see the proposal exhibited until later this year.
Council has advised that public exhibition is now anticipated to occur between 28 September and 30 October 2026, subject to approval from the Department of Planning.
The proposal cannot proceed to exhibition until the Department endorses the revised Planning Proposal incorporating the latest policy changes.
Following exhibition, submissions will be considered before the matter returns to Council and is ultimately determined by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
Gateway Deadline Explained
Councillor Zamprogno sought clarification about the significance of the 25 August deadline after residents questioned whether it represented the date the policy would automatically commence.
Council confirmed this is not the case.
Instead, the Gateway completion date is an administrative milestone requiring Council to complete consultation and satisfy all Gateway conditions before the Department can finalise the Planning Proposal.
Because the Department has retained plan-making authority for this proposal, Hawkesbury Council cannot make the final Local Environmental Plan itself.
If approved, the amendments will only come into effect once published on the NSW Legislation website by the Department of Planning.
Important Reform For Rural Landowners
The detached dual occupancy proposal has generated considerable interest across the Hawkesbury.
Supporters argue it would provide greater housing choice for farming families, allow adult children or ageing parents to remain on rural properties and improve the financial viability of agricultural land.
Others have expressed concerns about protecting rural character, infrastructure capacity, bushfire risks, environmental impacts and avoiding incremental urbanisation of the rural landscape.
The Parliamentary Inquiry examined many of these competing issues before making recommendations to the NSW Government earlier this year.
Council says those recommendations have now been incorporated into its revised Planning Proposal and will be further reviewed once the State Government releases its formal response.
With the anticipated extension until December, Hawkesbury residents are unlikely to see the reforms finalised before the end of 2026.
EXPLAINER: What happens next?
- NSW Government responds to Parliamentary Inquiry accepting recommendations.
- Council updates the Planning Proposal if required.
- Department endorses the revised proposal.
- Public exhibition expected September–October 2026.
- Community submissions considered.
- Matter reported back to Council.
- Department of Planning decides whether to make the LEP.
- Changes commence only when published on the NSW Legislation website.
Disclosure
The Hawkesbury Gazette discloses that Councillor Mary Lyons-Buckett has familial ties to the publisher. The Gazette maintains editorial independence and publishes this disclosure in the interests of transparency.
