We have released a Final Report on our assessment of Orchard Hills North Contributions Plan.
What has the council proposed?
Penrith City Council proposed to levy a total of around $218 million in developer contributions to provide the local infrastructure needed to service the Orchard Hills North precinct.
Overview of our findings
We found that most of the infrastructure costs in the plan are essential, reasonable and that community liaison has occurred.
Our recommendations
We have made recommendations to increase contingency allowances across stormwater, open space and transport infrastructure in the plan, to make minor adjustments to costs in the plan and to update plan administration costs. We have also recommended that transport costs, in addition to stormwater, be apportioned to non-residential development.
After implementing our recommendations the total costs of the plan will have increased by 5.8%, from around $218 million to around $231 million mostly due to recommending increased contingencies and updating plan administration costs and making adjustments to the work schedule. The council’s proposed contribution rates were between $64,853 and $129,702 and our recommended contribution rates range from $68,473 to $136,946.