Development contributions help cover the cost of delivering infrastructure needed to support new businesses, communities and homes.
Planning agreements are a method of securing these contributions. A planning agreement is a legal agreement between a developer and a planning authority, such as the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, or local councils.
The development contributions system operates under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. Planning agreements can deliver or fund:
- public amenities and services
- affordable housing
- transport or other infrastructure
- conservation or enhancement of the natural environment.
The applicant is required to meet the cost of preparing the legal agreements.
Planning agreements with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure are referred to as State Voluntary Planning Agreements (SVPA) to differentiate them from local council planning agreements.
Applicants can refer to our State Voluntary Planning Agreements process guide (PDF, 430 KB) for further details.
The department runs a competitive grant program to disburse these funds by inviting councils and agencies to nominate state and regional infrastructure projects in their areas.
To contact us about the funding program, email the team at [email protected]
Funding round 4 open
In April 2024 the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces announced the opening of Round 4 of the State Voluntary Planning Agreement funding program.
Eligible councils and agencies can apply for grants for infrastructure projects that support new housing, such as roads and transport, services and amenities, and open space.
A total of $62.5 million is available for projects between $500,000 to $5 million (subject to available funds in each applicable collection region). Here are the councils and agencies that are eligible and the funds available in each region.
| Region | Eligible applicant | Available funds |
|---|---|---|
| Central Coast | Central Coast Council | $4.04 million |
| Illawarra | Shellharbour City Council Wollongong City Council | $6.3 million |
| Lower Hunter | City of Newcastle Cessnock City Council Lake Macquarie City Council Maitland City Council Port Stephens City Council | $21.22 million |
| North West Growth Area | Blacktown City Council The Hills Shire Council | $4.54 million |
| South West Growth Area | Camden Council | $4.8 million |
| Wollondilly | Wollondilly Shire Council | $21.64 million |
| All regions | Transport for NSW | Per region budget |
Nominations close on Wednesday 29 May 2024. Eligible applicants can apply via the SmartyGrants platform.
For information about the nomination and assessment process, read our program guideline (PDF, 896 KB).
For more detail about the funding round, read our frequently asked questions (PDF, 117 KB).
Projects funded by SVPA
As of July 2023, over $220 million in cash contributions have been collected from developers through SVPAs.
The department works closely with state agencies and local councils to maintain a rolling pipeline of infrastructure investment that supports new housing and employment lands where these funds are collected.
Over $150 million has been invested in 30 projects since 2005. You can view the status of these projects using the interactive map below.
| Applicant | Project | Description | LGA | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport for NSW | Northern Road and Bradley Street intersection upgrade – construction | Upgrades to add lanes, a U-turn bay and new footpaths at the Northern Road and Bradley Street intersection in Mulgoa. | Penrith | $7,200,000 |
| The Hills Shire Council | Box Hill Regional Hockey Centre – design and construction | Development of detailed design and construction of a hockey centre in the Box Hill North Precinct. | The Hills | $11,248,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Mamre Road Upgrade (Stage 2) – business case | Preparation of final business case for the upgrade of Mamre Road to create 6.1-kilometre link between the Erskine Park Link Road, Erskine Park and Kerrs Road in Kemps Creek. | Penrith | $10,000,000 |
| Applicant | Project | Description | LGA | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Macquarie City Council | Alton Road intersection upgrade – land acquisition and construction | Land acquisition and construction of a three-way signalised intersection at the intersection of Alton Road, Freemans Drive and Central Avenue in Cooranbong. | Lake Macquarie | $4,950,000 |
| Fire Rescue NSW | Cessnock Fire Station – land acquisition | Land acquisition to construct replacement of fire station in Cessnock. | Cessnock | $2,040,000 |
| Camden Council | Dickson Road upgrade –design and business cases | Preparation of concept designs, strategic business case, detailed designs, review of environmental factors and a final business case for the upgrade of Dickson Road in Leppington. | Camden | $1,829,112 |
| Transport for NSW | Greater Warnervale transport masterplan | Traffic modelling, designs, workshops and final masterplan focused on Pacific Highway between Watonabbi and Kanwal. | Central Coast | $1,000,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Picton Road and Hume Highway Intersection upgrade – business case, planning and design | Development of a strategic business case, concept designs and review of environmental factors to investigate a potential upgrade of the Hume Highway and Picton Road interchange near Wilton. | Wollondilly | $1,000,000 |
| Central Coast Council | Louisiana Road drainage upgrade – construction | New kerbs and gutters, shared path, utility relocations and pavement work on Louisiana Road from Warnervale Road to Georgia Drive in Hamlyn Terrace. | Central Coast | $800,000 |
| Transport for NSW | M1 Princes Motorway - Figtree to Dapto – business case | Preparation of strategic business case investigating new infrastructure and network solutions for the M1 Princes Motorway from Figtree to Dapto. | Wollongong | $1,000,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Main Road (MR195) upgrade – business case and planning | Preparation strategic business case and technical studies to identify a program of works to upgrade Main Road and Cessnock Road between Mitchell Ave and New England Highway in Cessnock. | Cessnock and Maitland | $2,470,000 |
| Biodiversity Conservation Trust of NSW | North Cooranbong biodiversity offsets | Establishment of offset areas to purchase and retire biodiversity credits within Lake Macquarie and Wyong. | Lake Macquarie | $2,830,877 |
| Shellharbour City Council | Tripoli Way extension – land acquisition, planning and design | Land acquisition, environmental approvals, heritage assessments and designs to extend and connect Tripoli Way to the Expressway in Albion Park. | Shellharbour | $4,200,000 |
| Camden Council | Springfield Road upgrade – businesses cases and design | Preparation of concept designs, strategic business case, detailed designs and final business case for the upgrade of Springfield Road from Camden Valley Way to Peter Brock Drive in Oran Park. | Camden | $3,027,000 |
| Wollongong City Council | Northcliffe Drive extension – business case and design | Preparation of strategic business case and designs to extend Northcliffe Drive to connect to the Princes Highway at Berkeley. | Wollongong | $400,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Pacific Highway and Chain Valley Bay Road upgrade –business case | Preparation of business case to upgrade Pacific Highway and Chain Valley Bay Rd intersection in Crangan Bay. | Central Coast | $500,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Raymond Terrace Road, Metford Road and Thornton Area transport masterplan | Preparation of masterplan to support development of Maitland Hospital and Thornton and Chisholm urban release areas. | Maitland | $1,000,000 |
| Biodiversity Conservation Trust of NSW | Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan | Provides funding over 5 years to purchase land in the Cumberland Plain. | Various across Western Sydney | $20,000,000 |
| Applicant | Project | Description | LGA | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport for NSW | Old Wallgrove Road upgrade – construction | Construction of Old Wallgrove Road upgrade from Roberts Road to M7 Interchange in Eastern Creek. | Blacktown | $12,000,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Erskine Park Link Road – planning and design | Preparation of concept designs, traffic modelling, review of environmental factors and designs for the Erskine Park Link Road at Eastern Creek. | Blacktown | $13,760,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Richmond Road upgrade – construction | Construction of Richmond Road upgrade between Bells Creek and Townson Road in Colebee and Marsden Park. | Blacktown | $6,741,916 |
| Wollongong City Council | Fowlers Road Bridge – planning and design | Planning and design work for Fowlers Road Bridge to link Fairwater Drive and Fowlers Road in Dapto. | Wollongong | $600,000 |
| Wollondilly Shire Council | Wilton Junction – planning | Reimbursement of costs for precinct planning and investigation process in Wilton. | Wollondilly | $618,660 |
| Transport for NSW | Archbold Road upgrade –planning and design | Preparation of concept designs and a review of environmental factors for upgrade and extension of Archbold Road between the Great Western Highway, Minchinbury and Old Wallgrove Road, Eastern Creek. | Blacktown | $1,850,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Pitt Town Road intersection – design and construction | Design and construction of four new intersections along Pitt Town Road in Pitt Town. | Hawkesbury | $8,074,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Southern Link Road – planning and design | Preparation of strategic and concept designs, review of environmental factors and a road network strategy for proposed corridor to add connection between Wallgrove Road in Kemps Creek and Mamre Road in Horsley Park. | Fairfield, Penrith and Blacktown | $7,930,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Main Road, Cessnock upgrade – options investigation | Preparation of options paper for potential upgrade to Main Road (MR195) in Cessnock. | Cessnock | $1,160,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Main Road and Dora Street intersection upgrade – business case | Preparation of business case to upgrade Main Road and Dora Street intersection in Dora Creek. | Lake Macquarie | $1,000,000 |
| Transport for NSW | Newcastle Link Road and Minmi Road intersection upgrade – business case | Strategic business case for intersection upgrade at Minmi Road and Newcastle Link Road in Cameron Park. | Lake Macquarie | $1,200,000 |
| Planning Ministerial Corporation | Hill Road and John Wing intersection upgrade – land transfer | Funding for Planning Ministerial Corporation to acquire land from Sydney Olympic Park Authority, break leases on Hill Road, and transfer land to TfNSW to commence intersection upgrade in Sydney Olympic Park. | City of Parramatta | $19,500,000 |
Satisfactory arrangements
The majority of SVPAs entered into by the department relate to a clause in councils’ Local Environmental Plans, which require the developer to make satisfactory arrangements for the provision of state infrastructure to service their development. These clauses require the infrastructure (or contribution towards its cost) to be secured before a planning authority can provide consent for development.
In most cases, a planning agreement must be in effect prior to certifying that satisfactory arrangements have been made.
Preparing a SVPA
To assist developers to enter into a SVPA the department has developed a digital service to expedite and streamline the process. This new online service enables developers and relevant parties to lodge and track applications with the department online via the NSW Planning Portal.
To contact us about a proposed development that may require a SVPA, please email the team at [email protected]
SVPA register
All SVPAs are publicly notified and made available for public feedback before they are finalised. All SVPAs are available to view on the SVPA Register including: