Contributions Plan to support a growing West Dapto community

One of the ways Wollongong City Council plans for the future is by investing in new infrastructure and upgrading existing public facilities for our community.

Through development contributions plans, we collect money from developers to help fund essential public infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, footpaths, parks and sportsgrounds. This infrastructure supports the liveability of our city.

There are currently two contribution plans that apply in the Wollongong Local Government Area. One covers the West Dapto Urban Release Area, called the West Dapto Development Contributions Plan 2020, and the second covers the rest of Wollongong, called the Wollongong City-Wide Development Contributions Plan 2023.

They are reviewed regularly to reflect changes in government legislation and to ensure they align with Council's Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said development contributions are a significant revenue stream to fund public infrastructure.

“The cost of infrastructure has escalated substantially since 2020 when we last reviewed the West Dapto Development Contributions Plan. Without an increase in development contributions, Council, through ratepayers, would need to fund more of the infrastructure delivery,” he said.

“To this end, we have drafted the West Dapto Development Contributions Plan 2024 to ensure the contributions are meeting community needs.’’

This week, the draft Plan was endorsed for public exhibition from 6 November to 4 December 2023.

“Council has completed a range of public infrastructure projects that were funded, or partly funded, by the West Dapto 2020 Development Contributions Plan. These works include Karrara Bridge as well as ongoing upgrades to roads and footpaths in the area,” said Cr Bradbery.

“As West Dapto’s population continues to grow, so too does demand for public facilities such as parks, gardens, footpaths, cycleways and community centres.

“Once the new Plan is considered by the community and adopted, we will better understand our budget and be able to plan more infrastructure projects for the community.”

The draft West Dapto Development Contributions Plan 2024 will be available to view on the Our Wollongong website from 6 November 2023.

See also:

• Development contributions webpage
• Council meeting business papers