Leeton Shire Council has endorsed a Mayoral Minute that calls on the NSW Government to withdraw the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Infrastructure Contributions) Bill 2021 from the NSW Parliament.
The Mayoral Minute proposed that Council make a submission calling for the Bill to be withdrawn because the Bill proposes to give the NSW Government the power to determine how and where developer contributions will be spent.
Currently, the council of the local government area in which the development takes place decides how development contributions will be spent.
Development contributions are made by developers to help deliver the infrastructure needed as communities grow.
Council's Mayor Cr Paul Maytom said that developer contributions are valuable for improving community infrastructure such as roads, footpaths, street lighting, stormwater and drainage facilities and recreation facilities to support growth of the developed areas.
"The bill could mean that developer contributions are directed into four regional funds, with no guarantee that money would be directed to the local areas from which the funds have been collected.
"If passed, the bill could reduce the type of community infrastructure that could be funded by developer contributions," Mayor Maytom said.
"Council therefore calls on the NSW Government to withdraw the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Infrastructure Contributions) Bill 2021 from the NSW Parliament and undertake further consultation with local government on any proposed reforms to the infrastructure contributions system."
