Seeking feedback for Development Contributions Plan review

Published on 27 April 2020

Council is seeking community and developer input and feedback on Development Contribution Plans (DCP) for Warragul and Drouin as part of a review to bring them better into line with current needs.

A DCP is used to collect payments towards the provision of infrastructure triggered by new development. The payments received assist with the cost of providing roads, drainage, open space and community infrastructure required to accommodate the needs of a growing population. This offsets the contribution paid from rate income.

Each developer within the PSP area is required to contribute financially to the DCP, according to the amount of land they are developing.

Currently, DCPs apply to both the Warragul and Drouin Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) areas.

However, the DCPs for both Warragul and Drouin are no longer suitable to meet the demands of our growing development landscape. As a result, they are having a non-optimal effect on the delivery of infrastructure and assessment of planning applications in the Warragul and Drouin PSP areas.

It has been 5 years since the PSPs and DCPs were gazetted via a 20(4) Amendment process. The DCPs are being reviewed to bring them into line with current needs and this consultation represents an opportunity for the community to provide feedback on proposed changes.

Ultimately, the DCP Review will aim to:

A Council-engaged consultant has prepared a Directions Paper that outlines key recommendations for review.

Local residents and the development community are invited to provide feedback on the Directions Paper recommendations using a short online survey available at www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/HaveYourSay

This consultation opportunity is open for six weeks, closing on Friday 5 June 2020.

Following community feedback, the project consultants will make recommendations to Council regarding potential changes to the Warragul and Drouin DCPs.

Any changes to the DCPs will require a full planning scheme amendment which will be subject to further Council approval and the amendment approval process, including further public exhibition.

“This review of the DCP will help us to better capture the infrastructure needs that go along with housing developments in Drouin and Warragul. We encourage local residents and the development community to provide their input via this consultation process.”