We have released a Final Report on our assessment of revised St Leonards South Precinct Contributions Plan (2025).
What has the council proposed?
Lane Cove Council proposes to charge a total of around $62.59 million in developer contributions to provide the local infrastructure needed to service the St Leonards South Precinct.
Overview of our findings
The revised contributions plan meets the legislative requirements and the IPART review of section 7.11 plans module as part of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s Section 7.11 contributions practice note criteria, subject to the council making changes to the plan relating to the reasonable cost criterion. We found that that the required community consultation has been undertaken and that the infrastructure in the plan is essential and reasonable.
Our recommendations
We have made 5 recommendations for the council to address. They include updating the plan to reflect land acquisition, indexation of works and land costs, publishing the indices applied in the plan, and updating the works schedule.
If accepted by the Minister, and implemented by the council, our recommendations will increase the costs of SLS CP by 2% to $63.79 million. This will also lead to a 2% increase in all contributions rate, with a minimum contribution rate of $24,600 for a studio/1 bedroom dwelling and a maximum rate of $54,500 for a 3+ bedroom dwelling.