Plans designed to protect koalas and their habitat in local government areas across New South Wales are taking years to be approved by the State Government.

Key points: Claims that delays in approving council koala managements plans favour developers

Claims that delays in approving council koala managements plans favour developers One council claims delays in approval has resulted in koala habitat loss

One council claims delays in approval has resulted in koala habitat loss Delay in the approval of plans is said to be due to state review of planning policy

This week NSW north-coast based Liberal Party MLC Catherine Cusack raised the issue of koala plans of management with a senior executive from the Department of Planning and Environment during a parliamentary inquiry into koalas.

Ms Cusack said delays in the State Government approving koala management plans had given the advantage to developers as councils had no plans they could refer to.

"They're regarded as central to our whole koala-management strategy.

"So for the documents just to come to a shuddering halt in what appears to be a bureaucratic maze, is really frustrating.

"The community has had its say by pulling together to put these plans in place, but because they're not getting that final tick off from the State Government … we continue to make poor decisions."

Habitat lost

Wollondilly Shire mayor says koala habitat is being lost because of the State Government delay in approving council koala management plans. ( ABC: file image )

In the Wollondilly Shire, south west of Sydney, council staff started working with state government agencies on koala protection in 2016.

But Mayor Matthew Deeth said there was still no comprehensive management plan in place.

"Right now we're faced with this really difficult situation where we're seeing pockets of development occurring over the top of really important koala corridors," he said.

"We saw it with the rezoning of the south-east precinct in Wilton, where an important koala corridor was rezoned and unfortunately is now lost."

The Byron Shire Council, on the New South Wales north coast, submitted its plan for coastal koala colonies in 2016, but it is yet to be approved.

Mayor Simon Richardson has estimated the cost of process at $100,000.

"There was a large body of work in this," he said.

"A really significant and quite expert committee helped in the process, along with ecologists and those who work in the field, as well as and councillors and staff.

"What's disappointing is it's just a failure to make decisions."

Policy review stalled progress

In the neighbouring Tweed Shire, work on a koala plan of management began in 2012.

The council's biodiversity program leader Scott Hetherington said it had never been approved.

"We prepared the plan in accordance with the guidelines that the department issued, and… we consulted with them during the preparation of the plan," he said.

"There were some issues that came up from the department's end towards the finalisation of our plan, including the decision to commence review of the State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP44).

"The SEPP did commence being reviewed in 2015–2016 and as yet it hasn't been finalised."

Koala ecologist Steve Phillips, who has worked in the field for several councils as they formulate their management plans, said they were being stalled while definitions of habitat were debated.

"They are very well-prepared documents, very well informed and they've continued to evolve," Dr Phillips said.

"Most of these have been developed in collaboration with government agencies, so the fact that they haven't been approved or they just sit there is just spectacularly frustrating.

"That's all I can say, it's just amazing."

'Ongoing review'

The ABC has approached the Department of Planning and Environment for more details about the situation but has not received a response.

However, the department's executive director of policy for the Environment, Energy and Science Group, Michelle Dumazel, this week told the parliamentary inquiry the delay was being caused by an ongoing review of State Environmental Planning Policy 44.