Nervous New South Wales Government MPs are eyeing off their prospects at the next election — and many believe community anger over development might just be the number one hurdle they face.

As the Sydney building boom attempts to house a growing population — while keeping downward pressure on property prices — one member of the NSW Government summed up the situation expected at the ballot box in March next year: "A whole bunch of MPs [are] going to wear a pile of pain".

There were internal rumblings this week about the Government's decision to announce a moratorium on new residential development proposals in the Ryde council area where one of the Premier's closest allies, Minister Victor Dominello, has been under intense pressure over the pace of change.

"The idea of giving Ryde a moratorium is a terrible idea," one Minister told the ABC. "Now my constituents are asking me why we can't have the same in our area."

Another backbencher described the idea as "pure madness" that was "unfair on the rest of us."

The Planning Minister Anthony Roberts yesterday also announced that other councils could ask to be exempt from a new medium density code that encouraged dual occupancies, while they change their planning rules to determine which areas were suitable for that style of development.

But many MPs were worried it won't be enough to calm the public, saying voters are tapping into a city-wide sentiment.

"How many people are on the roads and how long it's taking them to get to work [is] all people are talking about — it's going to hurt us, no doubt," one backbencher said.

"It's a problem that can feed into someone's mind in any electorate," another Minister said.

Planning problems

Others were worried the Government's flip-flopping on planning was doing more damage.

"You shouldn't move the goalposts. It's dangerous," one MP said.

Many in the NSW Government are united in blaming local councils for creating development headaches, but they're divided over whether or not voters will care who is responsible when they head to the polls.

"Voters largely don't make that distinction between local and state government when it comes to this sort of stuff," one backbencher said.

"I have a lot of faith that the voters will be able to see all of the projects and infrastructure that we are delivering and see we are trying to keep councils in check," another said.

Some MPs expressed anger that the NSW Government had failed to sell the benefits of the infrastructure that came with development, or spell out how it was not to blame for the poor planning of the past.

But others said that the bigger issue was the pace of population growth — an area where they say the State Government's hands are tied.

"Blame the Federal Government," one backbencher said.

"They don't want to talk about population growth, but it's the Commonwealth who can pull the lever on immigration."