The current developer chargers for building new homes in NSW are likely to fall by up to 20 per cent under a new system put forward by the state’s pricing watchdog.
Urban Task Force Australia chief Aaron Gadiel says under existing planning laws these demands cannot be met, and NSW will without doubt fall further behind Australia’s other states without “far-reaching reform.”
"The Urban Task Force would like to see quicker planning approvals," Gadiel told ABC News.
"If the government agency doesn't deal with them or doesn't respond in 90 days, they should be deemed approved.
"Frankly, the development industry has been voting with its feet. It's been developing in Queensland and Victoria instead of NSW because it's just not profitable to do so here," he added.
A draft paper looking at streamlining the calculation of developer charges and simplifying the process was released by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal. The charges are used to recuperate a quantity of the expenditure from developers of providing water-related infrastructure to new developments.
A 20 per cent fall in water-related charges is expected in Sydney and approximately seven per cent in the Hunter region and it's hoped developers would now be geared up to look in areas which were previously too expensive to build in.
The draft paper goes on to say Sydney’s population is likely to grow by more than one million people by the year 2031, meaning more commercial, industrial land, homes and retail space was essential.
