Halifax improves development approval times by 11 months
Posted Mar 16, 2025 03:38:50 PM.
Last Updated Mar 16, 2025 03:38:55 PM.
A new study from the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) concluded that Halifax Regional Municipality has improved its average timeline for development application approval by 11 months.
In 2022, the average time for approval was 20.8 months. In 2024, it averaged just 9.8 months.
While that leaves Halifax as 13th across the country for fastest development approvals, it is the biggest improvement year-over-year nationwide.
“This study provides a data-driven approach to measuring how land-use planning-related factors influence the supply of housing, including the length of time the municipal approval processes can add to the construction timeline and how government charges on development applications can contribute to the cost of housing,” the introduction to the report reads.
Halifax is also ranked number one with all the studied features combined, awarding an overall score of 94 per cent for planning features.
In terms of residential development, a release from the the Ministry of Growth and Development in January said housing starts were up 25 per cent in the municipality in 2024. Last year, HRM issued 6,057 building permits for new residential units.
In August 2024, the province announced new regulations in an effort to remove barriers for housing in HRM. The regulations, under the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, require the municipality to make increasing housing supply the priority focus in all land-use planning, regulations, decisions and development approvals under the municipal planning strategy.
The original deadline for implementation of the regulations was Dec. 31, 2024 but has since been extended until June 30, 2025.
