The technocrat is back: Environmental land-use planning reform in New South Wales

Thirty years ago, environmental land-use planning in New South Wales was characterised by strong technocratic influences, with plans determined by technical experts employed by central government, leaving few opportunities for community participation. In contrast, the commencement of the Environ- mental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) was hailed as the start of a new era in environmental land-use planning which emphasised environmental protection, power sharing between State and local government, and public participation. A return to technocratic approaches to planning is clearly evident in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment Act 2008 (NSW), which represents the most significant change to the legislative framework for environmental land-use planning in New South Wales in the past decade. This article will evaluate the effectiveness of the recent amendments to New South Wales planning legislation by assessing their consistency with the objects of the principal statute.