State Significant Development in Transport Oriented Development areas
In 2024 the NSW Government introduced the Transport Oriented Development (TOD) program which provided new development controls to deliver additional housing near specific train stations throughout Greater Sydney. The TOD program declared four train stations in Ku-ring-gai – Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville, as TOD areas.
In 2025 Ku-ring-gai Council developed an alternative TOD plan with different boundaries and development controls around the four TOD areas.
On 13 June 2025, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) turned off the TOD State Significant Development (SSD) pathway. However, all SSD applications and relevant local Development Applications (DAs) lodged before that date were saved and continue to be assessed under the former TOD development controls even if they were located outside the alternative TOD plan boundaries.
On 19 June 2025, DPHI published updated TOD area maps showing the locations of these saved SSD sites and saved local DAs. As part of finalising the TOD Alternative for Ku-ring-gai, DPHI has since updated the TOD area maps again. Currently on the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer, the ‘Transport Oriented Development Sites Map’ for Ku-ring-gai largely correspond to the saved SSD development sites, with the addition of four heritage items mapped where they are surrounded by SSD proposals. While Council did not request the inclusion of these heritage items in the TOD mapping, we understand that DPHI’s intention is to encourage their integration into any future redevelopment of the surrounding land.
The additional heritage items mapped within the TOD areas are:
- 12 Stanhope Road, Killara
- 9 Middle Harbour Road
- 1 Valley Road, Lindfield
- 29 Roseville Avenue, Roseville
On 14 November 2025 the Ku-ring-gai alternative TOD Plan was formally made by the NSW Government. This plan provides development controls needed to deliver the required housing capacity close to the four train stations, while providing stronger protections for Ku-ring-gai’s heritage, environment and tree canopy, and ensuring more appropriate transitions between lower- and higher-density development.
More information about the NSW Government’s TOD Program can be found here - Transport Oriented Development Program.
Related documents
Development approval pathways within the TOD areas
Major residential developments within the TOD areas are commonly assessed through two main planning pathways:
- Development applications (DAs)
- State significant development (SSD) applications
SSD applications may be submitted directly or declared through an expression of interest (EOI) to the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority (HDA).
Development Applications
Development Applications (DAs) are assessed by Council and Council will invite surrounding residents and property owners to provide comments when a DA is lodged. If the proposed development within the DA has an estimated development cost of more than $30 million it will generally be determined (approved or refused) by the Ku-ring-gai Local Planning Panel (KLPP). DAs can be viewed through Council’s DA Tracker here - DA tracking Ku-ring-gai.
State Significant Development (SSD) Applications
SSD applications are for large scale or complex projects deemed important by the NSW Government for economic, environmental or social reasons. Developments for in-fill affordable housing with an estimated development cost of more than $75 million qualify for an SSD application. SSD applications are assessed by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) and determined by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces or the Independent Planning Commission, not Council. Council and surrounding residents are notified of and invited to comment on SSD applications at the exhibition stage. These comments are considered during the assessment of the SSD.
SSDs through the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA)
To accelerate the delivery of homes across NSW, the NSW Government established the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) in January 2025.
The HDA is a specialist panel that considers whether Expressions of Interests (EOIs) for major residential projects should be treated as State Significant Developments (SSDs). Declaring a project as an SSD allows it to enter a streamlined approval pathway.
The HDA’s role is to provide advice and recommendations to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces. It does not approve developments itself. A project only becomes an SSD if the Minister formally declares it as such. If the Minister declares a project as an SSD, it enters the same assessment process as other SSDs including a public exhibition stage where Council and surrounding residents are notified and invited to comment.
To be eligible for the HDA pathway, developments must have an estimated development cost of $60 million or more.
Unlike the standard SSD process, the HDA can also support concurrent rezonings, enabling projects to progress more quickly without requiring a separate, and often lengthy, rezoning process.
More information about the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority can also be found on Council’s website here - Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) Ku-ring-gai
SSD maps
Maps of SSD applications currently under assessment or have been approved and EOIs that have been declared as State Significant Developments through the Housing Delivery Authority in the TOD areas and in Pymble can be found on the maps here - Maps of State Significant Developments in TOD Areas(PDF, 5MB)
These maps also include a link to each SSD application on DPHI’s website or a link to the HDA’s declaration within the Record of Briefing.
This mapped information has been interpreted for residents based on publicly available information from DPHI found here - Projects | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment and Housing Delivery Authority.
For questions regarding individual SSD applications, enquiries should be directed to DPHI. The contact details for each DPHI Planner are provided on DPHI’s website.