We Mapped Every Strata Scheme in NSW. Here's What We Found.
PICA Services manages 2,009 strata schemes in NSW. That's what the register says.
The real number is 5,853.
BCS Strata Management, Dynamic Property Services, ACE Body Corporate, NSW Strata Management — all PICA subsidiaries. Nine brands, one parent group, 6.5% of every strata building in the state.
We mapped all 89,452 NSW strata schemes and consolidated by corporate group. Here's what changes:
→ The market looks like 467 independent competitors. After corporate roll-up, the concentration is far steeper than anyone publishes.
→ Central Coast has more strata schemes than any Sydney LGA. City of Sydney ranks fourteenth.
→ The total market is worth $445M–$562M annually — a conservative estimate that excludes insurance commissions, major works fees, and legal costs.
The biggest question for mid-tier managers: who actually owns your competitors?
We Analysed 853 Waverley Panel Decisions. Here's What Gets Approved
The Waverley planning panel overrides the assessing officer just 3.4% of the time.
853 decisions. 29 divergences. Your panel hearing matters — but the officer's recommendation, formed before the panel meets, matters more.
We structured every panel decision Waverley's LPP has made since 2017. Here's what nobody tells you about how planning approvals actually work:
→ 76% of all panel applications get approved. The system isn't as hostile as the rejections make it feel.
→ Clause 4.6 variations have a 93% success rate — largely because applications that invoke them tend to be professionally prepared with formal justifications and objectives testing.
→ Refusal rates dropped from 39% in 2017 to under 9% in 2024. The panel is learning, and so are applicants.
→ Bigger projects don't get refused more. They get approved with modifications. The panel manages impact, not blocks it.
The practical takeaway: invest in the assessment phase, not the presentation. The data says that's where outcomes are decided.