Fast DA assessment pays off with $1 million for Moonee Community Hub

CITY of Coffs Harbour’s quick assessment of development applications has opened the door for a million-dollar boost for the growing Moonee Beach community.

The NSW Government’s Faster Assessment Incentive Program aims to encourage councils to shorten development assessment timeframes – an area where Coffs has been excelling.

The upshot of that high performance means the City is eligible to apply for $1 million in program funding for an infrastructure project.

At its meeting on 19 March, Council determined to put forward the Moonee Community Hub as its project.

“There are a number of capital works projects in the 2025-’29 Delivery Program which are unfunded, and staff have identified the Hub – which may comprise a community centre and a park on the corner of Moonee Beach and Sullivans roads – as the best fit for the funding,” Mayor Nikki Williams said.

“The Hub project is currently in the planning and design stage and is estimated to come in at around $3 million all up.

“$1m from the State will complement the near $2.2m already collected from developers through the Moonee-Sapphire Contributions Plan.”

The hub design will be informed by the community of Moonee and surrounds, and typically it would include a multi-purpose gathering space and amenities.

Planning and Communities Director Ian Fitzgibbon said the City has been making year-on-year improvements in development assessment timeframes.

In 2024-’25, the City’s average DA assessment time stood at 90 days – four days better than the Minister’s expectation.

In the current financial year (to 28 February), the City is averaging 76 days – 13 better than the benchmark.

“We are performing strongly in an area that has become a statewide focus given the challenges in the housing supply market,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“By strengthening our systems, streamlining processes, improving communication and delivering a more responsive customer service, we’ve been able to make solid progress to the point where we are now significantly ahead of the average assessment timeframe by NSW councils.”

Funding through the Faster Assessment Incentive Program run by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure includes a stipulation that a nominated project must be completed by 30 June 2029.