Shoalhaven City Council has joined a growing chorus of NSW Councils calling on the state government to withdraw proposed infrastructure contribution rule changes.
Shoalhaven City Council Mayor, Amanda Findley said infrastructure contributions were paid by developers to help local governments to fund crucial local infrastructure such as roads, parks, stormwater management, community facilities and other important works.
“On behalf of the Shoalhaven City Council, I call upon the NSW Government to withdraw the Environment, Planning and Assessment Amendment (Infrastructure Contributions) Bill 2021 and undertake further consultation with the local government sector on the proposed reforms”, Mayor Findley said.
“Supporting sustainable growth and development in Shoalhaven is a priority for Council, however these proposed reforms have the potential to place a significant future burden on Council to fund the local infrastructure works associated with new developments in the region.
“I am deeply concerned that the changes before the NSW Parliament present an unacceptable shifting of costs from development to local ratepayers. Our ratepayers should not be left footing the bill to provide critical local supporting infrastructure such as and roads and parks.”
Council has also written to NSW Government Ministers and others outlining the Council’s concerns about the proposed reforms.