A voluntary planning agreement, or VPA, are legal documents created under the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 between developers and government agencies for the provision of infrastructure or other public amenities. A VPA enables the opportunity for councils to negotiate much needed community facilities and infrastructure which could not be obtained through a development contributions plan. In this regard, VPAs are a more flexible mechanism to fund or deliver infrastructure in a timely manner.
The State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) is a State government endorsed plan which gives effect to planning controls within certain precincts. Chapter 4 Homebush Bay area of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Precincts—Central River City) 2021 [SC1] applies to the Block H site.
A Local Environmental Plan (LEP) is a local government endorsed plan which gives effect to planning controls within a particular local government area.
Both SEPPs and LEPs have legislative weight, however, SEPPs override LEPs. Because the Homebush Bay area SEPP applies to the Block H site, it replaces the need for an LEP and also gives greater legislative control to the DCP. This is why the proposed changes to the planning controls are being made as part of a DCP amendment and not an LEP amendment via Planning Proposal, which is more common.
A development control plan, or DCP, gives guidance to development and normally supports the aims and objectives of a Local Environmental Plan (LEP). They provide detailed controls and standards for addressing development issues at a local level and cover various development types, including residential, commercial and industrial.
A consent authority, such as a Council, is required to take a DCP into consideration when determining a development application.
Under the current planning framework, the planning controls for the “Block H” site enforced by the Homebush Bay West DCP. Usually, a DCP is complementary to an LEP which provides the legislative planning controls such as building heights. However, the Homebush Bay West DCP is unique in that the planning controls are linked to State Environmental Planning Policy (Precincts—Central River City) 2021.
Past Council reports relating to the proposed changes to the planning controls for Block H and the draft Planning Agreement can be found using the link below. The relevant dates to search are 28 May 2018, 11 May 2020, 12 September 2022, and 11 December 2023.
Agendas and Minutes : City of Parramatta (nsw.gov.au)
For updates regarding the broader Wentworth Point peninsula, please visit the Wentworth Point precinct webpage.
https://www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/vision/precinct-planning/wentworth-point
