NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program

Councils are encouraged to submit an application that demonstrates how it will meet four key requirements:

1. substantially accelerate planning assessments between 1 September 2020 and 30 June 2021
2. commit to completing regionally significant development applications that have been under assessment for more than 180 days by 31 December 2020
3. further commit to delivering on housing and jobs growth, by: – for metropolitan councils, exhibiting updated local environmental plans to incorporate housing or employment supply for at least 6-10 years, by 30 June 2021 or – for regional councils, finalising local strategic planning statements by 30 September 2020
4. commit to delivering rezonings that have been under assessment for more than 4 years, by 30 June 2021.

Nominations should include a brief description of a public or open space project or projects that can be delivered by 31 December 2022 and that will meet the assessment criteria – public and open space as outlined below.

Project nominations should have strategic alignment to Government strategies such as:

• council strategies, such as Local Strategic Planning Statements or other strategic documents such as open space and recreation strategies, urban design plans, town centres or economic strategies, active travel and transport plans
• long term open space network outcomes, such as the Sydney Green Grid, Council open space and recreation strategies etc that demonstrate a long-term change and benefit for the community
• inclusive play spaces aligned with the Everyone Can Play Guidelines.

Projects should support the delivery of the Premier’s Priority of increasing access to quality green, open and public space and align with the principles of Greener Places. 

Councils are encouraged to put forward projects that, ideally:

• increase social cohesion and recreational deficiencies in vulnerable communities
• are in areas of known open space or recreational deficiencies
• are of district or regional importance and deliver a significant open space legacy
• create a broad range of community benefit including environmental and liveability outcomes
• improve the quality of public and open space and enable safe and flexible use through embellishment works
• fills in gaps in the open space network
• enable increased community access to public and open space.

Projects can include land acquisition for the purpose of creating new open space in areas where council has documented and published evidence of an existing deficiency in open space. Councils are encouraged to submit projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to public or open spaces which increase community access, inclusivity and flexible use.

Projects that will increase the diversity of recreational experiences and opportunities for communities will be well considered.

Design services will only be funded as part of the delivery of a project. Master planning or design services will not be funded in isolation. Where projects are for the upgrade, extension or replacement of existing infrastructure applications will need to demonstrate how the project provides significant increase in benefit than is currently existing (i.e. improved economic, environmental or social benefits).

NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program 11 Projects must be undertaken on land that is freely and openly accessible to the public and is Community Land and/or Crown Lands that are under the care, control and management of the council.

To be eligible for funding, councils must:

1. identify benchmark performance and opportunities to improve that performance
2. commit to a local assessment acceleration program, including measurable targets, that achieve significant performance improvement
3. be operating on the ePlanning platform – or mandated to adopt the ePlanning platform – at the commencement of the program.