Your feedback on proposed planning controls for new all-electric homes, offices and hotels

A proposal to change planning controls to require new residential accommodation and larger office buildings, hotels and serviced apartment buildings to be all electric.

Open for feedback

We invite your feedback on the proposed changes.

Public consultation period15 July 2025 to 12 August 2025

Angela Smidmore

Specialist Planner

David Fitzpatrick

Senior Planner

Why we’re doing this

All-electric buildings are healthier, more climate-resilient and cheaper to run. They reduce long-term energy costs, improve indoor air quality and make it easier to use renewable energy as the grid continues to decarbonise.

Also, gas use tends to place a greater burden on lower-income households and renters – through higher energy bills and poorer health outcomes. These groups often face the biggest barriers and costs to switching away from gas in existing homes. Requiring new buildings to be all-electric from the start helps avoid these challenges and provide fairer outcomes.

Earlier this year we released a discussion paper on the future of gas in new developments. It explored the benefits and challenges of electrifying new development and tested policy options with the community and stakeholders.

Feedback showed strong support for moving away from fossil fuel gas and for creating healthier, more climate-resilient buildings. This feedback has informed our proposed controls.

In June, Council adopted a planning control to require electric indoor appliances in new residential development. This rule will apply to development applications lodged after 31 December 2025.

What we’re doing

We’re asking for feedback on proposed planning controls that will require new residential accommodation and larger office buildings, hotels and serviced apartment buildings to be all electric.

We’re proposing that food and beverage businesses and industrial uses will be able to use gas and the controls will not apply to existing buildings or when changes are proposed to existing buildings.

The draft planning controls are proposed to require new residential accommodation, new offices over 1,000 square metres, new hotels over 100 rooms, and new serviced apartment buildings over 100 apartments to have all-electric systems and not be serviced by fossil fuel gas.

We’re proposing that the controls will apply to development applications lodged after 31 December 2026, allowing time for industry to prepare.

Draft Sydney Development Control Plan 2012: All-electric developmentPDF · 407.06 KB · Last modified 15 July 2025

Next steps

After the consultation period, we’ll consider all submissions and report the outcomes to Council.

How you can give feedback

Consultation closes at 5pm on Tuesday 12 August 2025.

Complete our survey

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Email or post your feedback

You can give your feedback by email to [email protected] or post to:

Specialist Planner
Attention: Angela Smidmore
City of Sydney
GPO Box 1591
Sydney NSW 2001
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