Jeremy and Suzy Whiting had big renovation dreams when they bought their northern Sydney home in December 2021. But faced with the Byzantine planning system, they knew they had to keep their ambitions in check.

A complex and lengthy development application process with their local council would blow out budgets and timelines.

“I couldn’t build the Taj Mahal because it would have to go through the DA process,” Whiting said. “It’s death by a thousand revisions, a thousand codes and clauses.”

Instead, they used the faster complying development pathway, where certificates are typically issued by accredited private certifiers and without councils assessing on subjective merit. It worked: four months later, in April 2022, builders were onsite for the demolition and construction of their North

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