A long-touted merger between Maitland City Council and Dungog Shire Council was taken off the table by Premier Gladys Berejiklian on February 14, along with merger proposals involving councils across regional NSW.

Proposals for forced mergers between some Sydney councils remain alive.

Housing Industry Association executive director for the Hunter Craig Jennion said mergers would have given councils in the Hunter a chance to streamline planning.

“Regardless of whether or not specific amalgamations had merit, the apparent loss of appetite for amalgamations is a missed chance for Hunter councils to become far more efficient,” he said.

“Merging many of the Hunter’s councils would have the benefit of streamlining planning processes for builders, architects and developers – along with the many residents who use their services.

“Unfortunately what remains is a system where every council has a different set of rules and processes that needs to be understood.

“Now that the threat of further local amalgamations is off the table, all councils must consider whether their geographical footprint and the services they provide is appropriate or can be administered differently.”

The state government’s about-face came after Ms Berejiklian became Premier when Mike Baird retired from the leadership role in January.

Deputy Premier, John Barilaro said publicly soon after Mr Baird’s retirement announcement that the Nationals would not support any further council mergers in “the bush”, which put political pressure on Ms Berejiklian, as the new Premier, to re-think the Coalition’s council reform agenda.