Cumberland Plain Contributions
In August 2022, the NSW Environment and Heritage Minister approved the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP) which provides strategic biodiversity certification for nominated areas in Western Sydney under Part 8 of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
The department collects biodiversity contributions to fund the delivery of direct measures within the CPCP conservation program, which includes 26 commitments and 131 actions designed to improve ecological resilience and protect biodiversity in Western Sydney.
Biodiversity contributions for the CPCP will be collected for relevant development across all urban certified land through planning agreements and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis Special Infrastructure Contribution (SIC) until it transitions into the Housing and Productivity Contribution system.
More information on the biodiversity contributions for the CPCP, including a map of the contributions areas, are in the Housing and Productivity Contribution Implementation Guide (PDF, 6.4 MB). Note: It is no longer intended to commence on 1 October 2023 as outlined in this document.
Strategic biodiversity component
The Housing and Productivity Contribution now applies to development applications for new residential, commercial and industrial development. A strategic biodiversity component is proposed to support funding of the Cumberland Plain Conservation Area. This charge will not commence on 1 October as previously proposed. More information on the commencement date will be provided when available.
Draft biodiversity component rates
The draft CPCP strategic biodiversity component rates are based on full cost recovery to deliver direct conservation measures under the CPCP. The costs cover the establishment and management of new conservation lands to offset development impacts and protect threatened ecological communities, species, and their habitats in perpetuity. The costs are based on known acquisition costs for new conservation reserves proposed under the conservation plan and credit costs for biodiversity stewardships agreements in Western Sydney.
The draft CPCP strategic biodiversity component rates have been tested through a capacity to pay assessment to understand the potential implications for development feasibility. The results of this assessment are in the Capacity to Pay Report (PDF, 1.2 MB).
The draft CPCP strategic biodiversity component rates are:
| Class of development | SBC amount (per unit) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Residential subdivision | $10,000 | New dwelling lot |
| Residential strata subdivision | $10,000 | New strata dwelling lot |
| Non-strata multi-dwelling development | $10,000 | New non-strata dwelling lot |
| Commercial development | $60 | Square metre of new GFA |
| Industrial development | $30 | Square metre of new GFA |
Land dedication
An alternative to paying a monetary contribution is an offer to dedicate land to the department through a voluntary planning agreement.
A voluntary planning agreement is not an appropriate or practical option for all land in the CPCP area. We have developed a set of criteria to assess whether land offered for dedication is of sufficient biodiversity value to reduce or remove the need to pay a biodiversity contribution.
For more information on the criteria, refer to the Land dedication criteria for the CPCP fact sheet (PDF, 52 KB).