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City of Wollongong
Resident Visitor Business

Development Contributions

Council collects contributions from developers to help fund public infrastructure that is required as a direct or indirect result of development.

Contributions are used to fund infrastructure projects that benefit the public, like roads, bridges, footpaths, community centres, parks and sportsgrounds.

Development contributions are in addition to building and development costs outlined in our fees and charges.

The amount payable will be based on the type, cost and location of the development. If a development contribution applies, this will be included as a condition in the development consent.

State infrastructure contributions may also apply to development. For more information, visit the NSW Planning website.

Use the button below to make a general enquiry about contributions, ask us for a contributions estimate, or request an invoice. To avoid delays, please select the correct option when you submit your enquiry.

Our contribution plans

There are two contribution plans that apply in the Wollongong City Council area. Details of these plans can be found below. To check which plan applies to a property, search our online map.

West Dapto Development Contributions Plan (2020) PDF, 11888.35 KB

The West Dapto Development Contributions Plan (2020) was adopted by Council on 7 December 2020 and came into force on 14 December 2020.

This plan applies to the West Dapto Urban Release Area (shown in Figure 1 of the plan).

The plan levies contributions in one of two ways:

  • Residential development - contributions are levied per additional lot or dwelling
  • Non-residential development (ie industrial or commercial) - contributions are levied per hectare.

The current indexed contribution rates, indexed to December 2023, are shown below. Please note that the rates will be indexed again on 1 May 2024.

Residential development Rate per lot / dwelling*
Subdivision, dual occupancy etc $61,157.76
Multi-unit housing 4+ bedrooms $55,424.76
Multi-unit housing 3 bedrooms $47,779.45
Multi-unit housing 2 bedrooms $42,045.93
Multi-unit housing 0-1 bedroom $32,490.01

* In accordance with the Ministerial Direction issued under s7.17 of the EP&A Act and the advice from the Minster for Planning and Public Spaces the plan is considered an IPART reviewed plan and has approval to levy over the $30,000 cap. As the LIGS funding subsidy ended on 30 June 2020, the developer will be levied the full contribution rate.

Non-residential development Rate per hectare
Commercial $441,414.35
Industrial and other $150,447.94

You can find more information about the growth of West Dapto on our Works and Projects pages.

Use the button below to make a general enquiry about contributions, ask us for a contributions estimate, or request an invoice.

Wollongong City-Wide Development Contributions Plan (2023)  PDF, 3922.96 KB

The Wollongong City-Wide Development Contributions Plan (2023) was adopted by Council on 28 August 2023 and came into force on 8 September 2023.

This plan applies to the majority of the Wollongong City Council area, excluding where the West Dapto Plan applies.

Contributions levied under this plan are based on the proposed cost of carrying out the development.

Levy rates are shown below.

Proposed cost of the Development* Contribution %
Up to and including $100,000 Nil
More than $100,000 up to and including $200,000 0.5%
More than $200,000 1%

For development in the Wollongong City Centre B3 Land Zone the following rates apply:

Proposed cost of the Development* Contribution %
Up to and including $250,000 Nil
More than $250,000 2%

* See Clause 208 of the Environment Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000.

Note: Where a contribution under Section 7.11 (previously Section 94) was paid at subdivision and the proposed development does not increase demand (for example construction of a single dwelling on a lot or alterations to an existing dwelling) a contribution under Section 7.12 (previously Section 94A) cannot be levied.

Use the button below to make a general enquiry about contributions, ask us for a contributions estimate, or request an invoice.

Please see our Development Contributions Register. for details of development contributions that have been made to Council.

More information

Planning Agreements, also known as Voluntary Planning Agreements or VPAs, can be used as an alternative way of providing contributions to Council. These agreements are considered on a case-by-case basis and are usually associated with a Planning Proposal or Development Application.

You can read more in our Planning Agreements Policy PDF, 321.7 KB and our Planning Agreements Register.

Planning Agreements have also been used by the NSW State Government to collect Special Infrastructure Contributions from residential subdivision development at West Dapto.

Use the button below to make an enquiry about Planning Agreements.

Accredited Certifiers (also known as Private Certifiers) have the same obligations as Council when issuing certificates.

When issuing Construction Certificates or Occupation Certificates these obligations include:

  • Ensuring that any condition requiring the payment of contributions has been satisfied.

When issuing Complying Development Certificates these obligations include:

  • Calculating any required contribution in accordance with the applicable contributions plan; and
  • Imposing a condition requiring the applicant to pay contributions before any work authorised by the certificate commences; and
  • Ensuring that contributions have been paid before any work authorised by the certificate commences.

The following resources can assist in calculating the contributions that apply to a development:

  • Check which contributions plan applies to a property with our online map.
  • Request a contributions estimate from Council using the button below.
  • If the applicant has requested an exemption, please forward it to Council for assessment using the contributions enquiry button below.

Use the button below to make a general enquiry about contributions, ask us for a contributions estimate, or request an invoice.