Environment and planning

Environment and planning

Lander & Rogers bolsters Environment & Planning offering with new partner Tom White

Firm appoints new partner Tom White to establish an Environment & Planning team providing specialist advice as part of its market-leading Real Estate & Projects and Infrastructure teams.

NSW planning law reforms: what property developers need to know

Discover how NSW planning law changes streamline development approvals and fast-track housing delivery for property developers in New South Wales.

Proposed changes to EP&A Act focus on increasing housing supply

On 17 September 2025, the NSW Premier, Treasurer and Planning Minister announced the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Bill 2025 (the Planning Bill).

Compulsory Acquisition - Reinstatement claim for open space goes down the drain

In Inner West Council v Transport for NSW [2024] NSWLEC 138, the Land and Environment Court of NSW has provided useful guidance on the correct approach to valuing open space land under the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991 (Just Terms Act).

Relocation does not equal reinstatement: NSW Court of Appeal limits compensation available to lessees following compulsory acquisition

The recent NSW Court of Appeal decision of Sydney Metro v C & P Automotive Engineers Pty Ltd [2024] NSWCA 186 significantly narrows what compensation is available for tenants who relocate following a compulsory acquisition.

Powering Up the EPA: The Key Changes in NSW’s 2025 Environmental Reforms

The Environmental Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 (the Bill), introduced into NSW Parliament on 6 August 2025, proposes targeted reforms to the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (POEO Act) and other environmental legislation. The Bill includes the following key changes aimed at strengthening environmental protection in NSW and giving more power to the NSW EPA.

Rational decisions can lower compensation: NSW Court of Appeal upholds impact of owner choices in compulsory acquisitions

NSW Court of Appeal has confirmed that actions taken in the shadow of an acquisition are not necessarily to be disregarded when assessing the market value of an interest in land under the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991

Goldmate v TfNSW - interpretation of the "public purpose" narrowed by the NSW Court of Appeal

In our April article, we concluded that as a result of the LEC Decision 'there are no 'clear rules' for characterising the relevant public purpose'. As a result of the Court of Appeal's decision, there is a reversion to the approach of determining the 'public purpose' which is to be disregarded for the purpose of determining market value, with reference to the relevant acquiring authority's legislative powers.

Lander & Rogers bolsters Real Estate offering with new partner Natasha Hood

Firm appoints new partner Natasha Hood to strengthen its national Real Estate & Projects team in Brisbane, responding to the expanding demand from clients for market-leading commercial and retail real estate expertise in the Queensland market in particular.

Foreign investment approvals for renewable energy infrastructure projects

In recent months there has been media coverage of foreign investors experiencing difficulty in securing Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to acquire energy infrastructure, in particular local electricity projects.

Pumped hydro making waves in Australia – the role of pumped hydro energy storage in Australia’s energy future

Pumped hydro making waves in Australia – the role of pumped hydro energy storage in Australia’s energy future

NSW renewable energy planning framework

The NSW Government has announced its Renewable Energy Planning Framework which will form a key part of the development assessment process renewable energy projects and associated infrastructure in NSW.

Smart energy - transforming the renewable energy market with artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the transition to renewable energy sources are emerging sectors already shifting the landscape for investors, employers, and the public on a global scale. While the pace of these changes will be moderated by geopolitical factors, a clear link is emerging between the technologies. AI requires massive amounts of energy to power the data centres that 'think' for their large language models, the levels of which are expected to quadruple by 2030.

Mandatory climate reporting effective from 1 January 2025

As foreshadowed in our previous article, new mandatory climate reporting came into effect on 1 January 2025. Despite the Coalition's vow to repeal the new laws if it wins the federal election this year, the new sustainability reporting obligations are currently incumbent on large business and financial institutions.

Micro but mighty renewable energy opportunities for remote Australia

In the vastness of Australia's landscape, remote communities have traditionally had difficulty maintaining a supply of reliable and sustainable energy. Those communities who are literally 'off the grid' have typically used diesel generators, which can present reliability problems such as mechanical failure stemming from the extreme weather conditions commonly encountered in regional Australia. In recent years, microgrids have become an increasingly popular replacement for generators.

NSW energy in for a wind change: Thunderbolt wind farm in New England REZ wins approval

On 8 May 2024 the Independent Planning Commission granted development consent for the 192MW, $373 million Thunderbolt Wind Farm in the New England Renewable Energy Zone, subject to conditions.

Lander & Rogers appointed to the whole of Australian Government Legal Services Panel

Lander & Rogers is delighted to announce the firm's appointment to all legal areas in the Whole of Australian Government (WOAG) Legal Services Panel across every area of law and practice area, including: Workplace, Industrial Relations and Compensation Public Law Corporate and Commercial (General) Corporate and Commercial (Specialist) Property and Environment Legal Support Services

When the 10-year "absolute" long-stop limitation period is not so absolute...

Sydney Capitol Hotels Pty Ltd v Bandelle Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 1825 The NSW Supreme Court has recently found that the 10-year long-stop period for building actions imposed by s6.20 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 NSW (EPA) will not necessarily apply to an action for loss or damage arising in connection with defective building work if the defective work only caused the loss or damage in an 'accidental, incidental or indirect sense'.

NSW advances energy transition with approval of Central-West Orana REZ Transmission Project

In more good news for NSW's energy transition focussed around renewable energy zones (REZ), on 26 June 2024 the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces (the Minister) granted an infrastructure approval to the Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo) for the Central-West Orana REZ Transmission Project (the CWO Project). The Minister is the approval authority as the CWO Project is declared to be State Significant Infrastructure under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Planning Systems) 2021.