Exemptions available to create a more sustainable Sydney

The City of Sydney is making it easy to be green. Under a proposed new plan, property owners and developers who invest in Sustainable Sydney 2030 initiatives may be eligible for exemptions from the development contribution levy.

Developers can apply for partial exemptions and waivers of the 1% development contribution levy for projects including:

• affordable housing, boarding houses or not-for-profit development
• installation of green energy facilities, such as solar panels
• showers and bicycle lock-up facilities for bike riders
• tanks and greywater treatment for the re-use of water in gardens and cooling towers
• refitting of buildings to provide small finegrain spaces for new shops

“Sydney needs more buildings like the award-winning 1 Bligh Street, which has the highest Green Star rating score for a high-rise building in NSW,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“Developers need to be innovative when designing for the future, and it’s essential for them to consider sustainable initiatives such as green energy, water harvesting and active transport.”

The draft Central Sydney Contributions Plan 2012 would increase the range of developments that are exempt from the current levy. The Plan is hoped to encourage developments that meet the objectives of Sustainable Sydney 2030.

The plan is on exhibition from 4 July to 2 August at City of Sydney venues and online.

The plan identifies $295 million of anticipated public domain, community facility, open space and traffic improvements for central Sydney. The City of Sydney has planned $1.8 billion in infrastructure improvements in the next nine years, with $260 million anticipated to come from development contributions.