The highest number of development applications in at least 15 years was submitted to Dubbo Regional Council during the last financial year.
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Between July 2020 and June 2021, there were 959 development applications submitted. It equates to more than 18 per week.
The estimated total of those developments was almost $225 million.
It's $73 million more than the previous financial year when 672 developments were approved.
Dubbo Regional Council chief executive officer Murray Wood said despite the effects of the pandemic, council had the highest number of development applications in at least 15 years.
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It's good news for Dubbo.
"The Dubbo region has a strong localised construction industry and what this means is when construction is doing well, it supports the majority of the other parts of the region's economy to also do well because they are engaging local businesses in the supply chain of development, employing local people and spending money in the Dubbo region economy," Mr Wood said.
"When looking at the $224,879,974 worth of development applications approved last financial year, it's estimated that the construction sector would produce a direct output or total gross revenue into the economy of $492,599,587 throughout the Dubbo region.
"This includes both direct spending for immediate goods and services needed to complete the development projects themselves, and then the ripple effect from this spending out to other supply chain businesses, local goods and services and household incomes."
There were 260 single dwellings approved for the year - compared to 260 the year before - and another 70 classified as 'other' residential developments, which included the approval of 164 units.
Significant development for the year include 26 approvals for retail buildings worth almost $13 million and seven office and retail buildings worth another $1.9 million. There were two educational buildings at $1.9 million.
Mr Wood said the boom in development applications had been "very welcome" and council staff had been very busy making sure they had been processed efficiently.
He expects the process to be streamlined even further with the introduction of the NSW government's Online Planning Portal earlier this month.
"It's possible this new streamlined approach will mean more applications are processed in a shorter time period," Mr Wood said.
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