Councils grappling with construction delays are hoping artificial intelligence will be a silver bullet in the fight against ballooning development backlogs.
The NSW government has received "keen interest" in a new program that involves giving town planners access to advanced AI tools.
It comes as the state struggles to meet key housing targets, an issue being exacerbated by lengthy delays in the approvals process.
State government data showed the average time for a development application to be determined had blown out from 83 days in the 2021/22 financial year to 107 days in 2023/24.
Waiting times stretched longer than 195 days for inner-city councils such as Georges River and Liverpool, as well as Bowral and Queanbeyan in regional areas.
Builders have reported year-long delays on individual projects and said the hold-ups were hampering the delivery of new homes and increasing costs.
At a Property Council event in August, NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully was told he had a "zero per cent" chance of meeting housing supply needs unless the government and sector immediately adopted AI technology.
Tech could transform DA system
The NSW Department of Planning claimed its $5.6 million AI program had the potential to revolutionise the development process and dramatically reduce these time frames.
Exact details on how the tech will be used are still unclear, but a similar pilot program by the state government used AI to quickly scan applications and identify areas that did not line up with planning guidelines.
A department spokesperson said the new program aimed to ease the workload on town planners by providing them with AI products that were "fit for purpose and ready to deploy".
They said the initiative would also use AI to improve the quality of submitted applications before they were even seen by a town planner.
"Councils have shown a keen interest in early department-led workshops," the spokesperson said.
'Game changer' for regional city
Wagga Wagga City Council was among those requesting involvement, amid fears the area was veering towards a major slowdown of residential construction.
Local councillor Richard Foley said land releases around the city were dwindling, meaning it was more important than ever to encourage urban development.
He said some people in Wagga Wagga had waited months just to get permission to build sheds or signs, while approval for larger builds could take up to six months.
"There are absurd delays on certain things that really need to be prevented," Cr Foley said.
"It's besieged by backlogs due to the nature of the game, but AI is a game changer."
Projects collapsing due to delays
Manuel Donebus is the director of Damasa Pty Ltd, a development firm that manages large commercial builds in Wagga Wagga.
He said the time it took to receive a determination was frustrating and had caused multiple large projects to collapse.
"A lot of the time it can be make or break for the project," Mr Donebus said.
"Often they will just say, 'Look, that's too long for us' and look at other alternatives."
The state government has a target of increasing Wagga Wagga's population from 67,000 to 100,000 by 2038, but figures from the latest census show the city is well off-track.
Mr Donebus said it was frustrating seeing the city's growth curtailed by the slow development process.
"We're all saying that we're working towards the same goal, but I don't think we're always swimming in the same lane," he said.
The NSW government said it had held workshops on the new AI program with nearly half of the state's councils.
It expected to begin hearing proposals in February.