Circulars

What’s new or changing

• New versions of the statutory forms have been developed by the Department of Planning and Environment.
• The updated statutory forms are designed to be easier for both acquiring authorities and property owners to use, and contain more detail and instructions.
• The new statutory forms will supersede all previous versions and are to operate from 12:00 am on Wednesday, 8 June 2022.

What this will mean for your council

• Councils carrying out property acquisitions under the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991 are required to use these updated statutory forms from 12:00 am on 8 June 2022.
• Previous versions of the statutory forms should be archived in line with the council’s information management policies and their usage should cease as from 12:00 am on 8 June 2022.
• Updated statutory forms should be issued to property owners and interest holders who are in possession of previous versions that are yet to be submitted.

Key points

• The updated statutory forms have been approved by the Minister for Lands and Water, the Hon. Kevin Anderson MP. Notice of Minister Anderson’s approval was published in NSW Government Gazette No. 148 of 8 April 2022.
• The Department of Planning and Environment worked in consultation with the Centre for Property Acquisition, acquiring authorities, and the NSW Valuer General to update the statutory forms.
• The updates have been made to align with the recommendations from the Pratt Review of Housing Acquisition completed by the then Customer Service Commissioner, Mike Pratt, in 2016 that communications and collateral be reviewed to ensure they are clear, accurate, and current.
• The updated statutory forms will be made available to the general public on the Property Acquisition NSW website from 8 June 2022.

Where to go for further information

• The updated forms can be viewed at the Centre for Property Acquisition’s Property Acquisition Portal, a resource available to all NSW acquiring authorities, including councils. You may register for access to the Property Acquisition Portal by emailing the Centre for Property Acquisition.
• Enquiries about the new statutory forms may be directed to the Centre for Property Acquisition by email or by phone on 1300 029 146.
• Further information about the compulsory acquisition process can be found on the Office of Local Government website.