A Development Contributions Scheme can be prepared to recover the cost of essential shared infrastructure from new developments. The process aims to include fair funding and delivery of infrastructure for new development areas.

The contributions can be cash payments or the developer can deliver infrastrucure directly.

Development contributions are needed to fund essential infrastructure that is required for new communities in Greater Bendigo’s growth areas.

They are a fair way to share the costs between all land owners that would benefit from the infrastructure. It also means that the City, or one developer, don't have to fund all works in conjunction with a land owner as they develop their land.

The City has a limited infrastructure budget that covers the whole of the municipality. Future growth areas require significant investment.

A Development Contribution Scheme provides assurance for the developers and future residents in these growth areas that critical, and often costly infrastructure, would be provided in a timely manner as development progressively takes place. A Development Contributions Scheme is a fair way to manage new communities and the services required.

Development contributions do not fund all required infrastructure and services that are generated from new development. They do fund the ‘essential’ shared infrastructure required to support the new development.

Major infrastructure and facilities that service much larger catchments are either funded directly by local and State governments or the Commonwealth Government. In some cases development contributions can ‘contribute’ a portion of the overall costs where there is a strong relationship between the infrastructure and the new development.