Can the VPA levy a charge under the ICP or the DCP? Will that take into account my third-party contributions?

Sections 46GI and 46I of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 includes provision for planning authorities (including the VPA) to recover the plan preparation costs from benefiting land via a charge included in the relevant Infrastructure Contributions Plan (ICP) or Development Contributions Plan (DCP).   

This charge recovers costs over the life of the project (generally 15-20 years) and hence does not enable the VPA to forward-fund its planning work.  Further, the charge and cannot be applied to landowners in a manner which exempts those who have already made a voluntary contribution to the VPA by way of third-party contribution.   

Therefore, the VPA considers it preferable to seek upfront voluntary Third Party Funding (TPF) from landowners and generally will not be including costs of this nature in the ICPs or DCPs of its Precinct Structure Plans (PSP).  

The VPA reserves the right, however, to impose a levy by way of an ICP or DCP to recover some or all of the costs of the VPA’s planning work in situations where no or partial voluntary upfront TPF is in place and a PSP is required to proceed as a matter of Government direction. In other words: where a PSP is required to proceed and no TPF is in place, an ICP or DCP charge will be considered. 

In some situations landowners may voluntarily contribute funding to make up shortfalls caused by non-contributing owners.  Because the VPA is not able to levy an ICP or DCP charge selectively (ie on non-contributing land only, it will not be possible to reimburse any additional shortfall funding via a charge under the ICP or the DCP).