What changed
NSW industrial land reforms are now on public exhibition, and feedback is open until 5pm on Thursday, 26 November 2026. Announced on 29 October, the changes aim to modernise planning controls and streamline approval pathways. The goal is to give businesses more flexibility to set up and run developments such as distribution centres, warehouses built over several storeys, and facilities supporting online retail, freight and logistics. Separately, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure is working on minor amendments to industrial land planning controls in response to stakeholder feedback. These are expected to take effect before the end of the year.
Who is affected
Businesses that establish or operate industrial and employment developments in NSW, including distribution centres, warehouses, online retail facilities, and freight and logistics operations. Anyone with an interest in industrial land in Regional NSW, the Central Coast or the Lower Hunter should also look at the proposed categorisation framework set out below.
When it starts
No commencement date has been published yet for the main proposals. The planning changes and the industrial lands categorisation are on separate exhibitions, but both close at 5pm on 26 November 2026. The minor amendments are expected to take effect before the end of the year. For context, the Statewide Policy for Industrial Lands, the first action under the Industrial Lands Action Plan, was finalised in August 2026.
What the NSW industrial land reforms mean in practice
Alongside the planning changes, the government has released a proposed Industrial Lands Categorisation for Regional NSW, the Central Coast and the Lower Hunter. It sorts industrial land by its role, scale, infrastructure connections and economic contribution into three tiers: state significant, regionally significant and locally significant. The idea is to guide planning decisions so that land is available in the right places to meet future demand. The framework also sets indicative targets for development-ready industrial land of 50 hectares a year across the Central Coast and Lower Hunter, and 40 hectares a year across Regional NSW. Investigation Areas have also been identified to look at unlocking more industrial land and tackling infrastructure and servicing constraints.
The government says this exhibition completes every action under the Industrial Lands Action Plan. Planning Minister Paul Scully put it plainly: “With these reforms we have delivered every action in our Industrial Lands Action Plan.”
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General information only, not legal advice. Check the official source before acting.
Source: NSW Government. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
NSW Government, https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/simpler-planning-proposed-industrial-land
