Planning & Approvals

NSW planning & approvals overview

Under the NSW Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979, a development that is important to NSW for economic, environmental or social reasons can be classified a State Significant Development (SSD). An SSD must be approved by the NSW Minister for Planning or the Independent Planning Commission before it can proceed.

CCOP is a State Significant Development and must complete the assessment and approval application process required by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure DPHI).

A Scoping Report was lodged with DPHI in May 2024 and they issued the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) in late June 2024. The SEARs defines the issues DPHI expects the EIS and technical assessments to cover. They are being prepared and we expect to submit them late in 2025.

Broadly, the EIS will describe the key features of the CCOP and cover topics including social impacts, economic impacts, visual impacts, air quality, noise, vibration, traffic, surface and groundwater, Aboriginal and historical heritage, soils and agriculture and biodiversity impacts and others.

The EIS will assess potential impacts and describe how they will be minimised as far practicable.

Cadia has commissioned Umwelt Environmental to assist with the preparation of the EIS.

If CCOP is approved, Cadia’s Environmental Protection Licence (EPL) will need to be varied and a new mining lease granted over the project area. CCOP also requires approval under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

More information about the SSD assessment and approvals process is available at The SSD process | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment