City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Bob Dwyer is concerned proposed changes to the way NSW councils collect contributions from developers will undermine plans to deliver the critical community infrastructure needed to support the Central River City's growth.
"Parramatta is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia and right now we are doing the heavy lifting when it comes to Greater Sydney's housing supply and jobs market," Cr Dwyer said.
"But the success of our City is dependent on our ability to fund the necessary local infrastructure to support this growth and the increased demand for local services.
"We are concerned that the proposed changes could inhibit our ability to collect the developer contributions we need to build the footpaths and cycleways, libraries and community centres, parks and open spaces, for our booming population."
Earlier this week, Council endorsed a new contributions plan for developments outside the Parramatta CBD, which will help bring in more than $1.24 billion to fund community infrastructure over the next 20 years. By then, it's predicted the City of Parramatta will have welcomed more than 166,000 new residents and 33,000 new workers.
A contributions plan designed specifically for the Parramatta CBD is also being drafted and is expected to go on public exhibition in coming months.
Cr Dwyer said the NSW Government's proposed new system could undermine Council's years of work and planning, potentially leaving the community worse off.
"We would like to see more detail from the NSW Government and greater consultation with the local government sector so all councils - especially Parramatta - can properly assess the impact of the new legislative framework," Cr Dwyer said.
"At the end of the day, we want to make sure our growing community gets the infrastructure and services they need, and to achieve this we need developers to make a fair and reasonable contribution."
