FAQs

VPA's are a voluntary legal agreements between a planning authority (like the City) and a developer or landowner.

VPA's are negotiated in association with a development application or a planning proposal (rezoning application). 

A VPA explains what contributions a developer will provide the community as a part of their development. 

VPAs allow developers to make contributions that deliver a material public benefit connected to their development. These contributions can include:

• dedicating land
• providing a monetary contribution
• delivering a material public benefit (such as infrastructure or services)
• or a combination of these.

Examples of contributions include public amenities, public services, affordable housing, or other types of infrastructure.

Part 7 of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) allows councils, other consent authorities and accredited certifiers to collect development contributions to fund community infrastructure needed as a result of new development.

The City has adopted Section 7.11 and Section 7.12 contributions plans, which collect funds for new infrastructure required to support growth across the local government area. 

The EP&A Act also allows development contributions to be made through a planning agreement (Section 7.4). 

VPA's are typically used for more complex developments, or when a developer proposes a contribution that is not provided for an in existing S7.11 or S7.12 contributions plan.

The legislative framework for preparing planning agreements comes from two key sources:

• Part 7 of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) provides the legal framework for VPA's; and
• Part 9 of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Regulation 2021 (EP&A Regulation) which outlines the procedures for preparing and finalising VPAs. 

The NSW Planning Portal - Planning agreement practice note webpage provides a series of modules explaining the principals that underpin VPA's within NSW planning system. 

The City manages VPAs under its Voluntary Planning Agreement Policy, which ensures that all parties — including the community — have clarity about how VPAs are handled and that they support good planning outcomes.

The City’s VPA Policy is guided by legislation and the NSW Government’s Practice Note. It outlines the key elements of a VPA, including:

• objectives
• the acceptability test
• strategic planning considerations
• governance and probity
• public participation
• negotiation procedures
• administration of VPAs.

The policy also includes a template VPA and an explanatory note, which set out the City’s minimum requirements for preparing a VPA.

The City encourages, community members, stakeholders, and interested parties to provide feedback during the public exhibition period of VPA's. All submissions will be reviewed and considered before ta VPA is endorsed for execution.

You can make a submission by:

• Completing the online submission form on the exhibition page
• Sending a written submission via email or post (details provided on the public exhibition main page).

Please ensure your submission is received before the closing date of the exhibition period.