Coalition 'lags on building approvals' THE NSW government says it has cleared $9.2 billion worth of property projects in the past financial year, but federal data says otherwise, suggesting NSW is well behind other states in terms of building and construction activity on a per capita basis. State Planning and Infrastructure Minister Brad Hazzard said yesterday that when the Coalition was elected in March 2011 there were 539 Part 3A (state-significant and major) projects outstanding. Since June last year, however, his department has cleared 152 transitional Part 3A and 21 significant-state development infrastructure projects, including the $519 million Boggabri Coal Project, the $110m Port Macquarie Base Hospital redevelopment and the $38m commercial development at Sydney Olympic Park.