Hunter UDP Update 23 July

Hunter UDP Update 23 July

23 Jul 2020

UDIA participated in the latest meeting of the Hunter UDP Committee on 14 July, where items were considered for potential funding through the State Voluntary Planning Agreement (SVPA) Funding Program. Currently $15 million remains available from Hunter contributions.

DPIE is currently seeking formal project nominations from public authorities including councils and agencies. Industry input was considered at the Hunter UDP Committee meeting. UDIA members nominated projects and UDIA proposed each without prioritisation to the UDP Committee and an officer from DPIE’s SVPA program.

Formal nominations from councils and agencies are due to DPIE on 31 July and will be informed by both the UDP Committee meeting as well as ongoing discussions with authorities by individual proponents about their project needs.

The formal budget process then continues within DPIE and through the NSW Government Executive Steering Committee for final funding decisions later this year.

Background

The Hunter UDP Committee was established in 2018 under the Hunter Regional Plan 2036 to facilitate the coordination of infrastructure delivery to support new housing and employment in the Greater Newcastle Metropolitan Area. UDIA strongly advocated for its creation and is an active contributor to its work. The Committee is chaired by HCCDC and sponsored by DPIE, with additional members being the 5 lower Hunter councils, Hunter Water, Transport for NSW, Ausgrid, UDIA, PCA, HIA and PIA. The Committee meets approximately quarterly and released its first Annual Report earlier this year, detailing Hunter housing supply and infrastructure planning and funding.

As part of its role in coordinating infrastructure delivery, the Hunter UDP Committee offers a forum for stakeholders to collaborate and offer input into the State Voluntary Planning Agreement (SVPA) Funding Program. In the Hunter, $18 million in SVPA contributions have been collected since 2010 but none of that money had been spent until the Hunter UDP Committee was formed. To date, $3.36 million has been spent from the Hunter SVPA fund on major roads planning and design at Minmi Road, Main Road Cessnock, and Dora Street Morisset, leaving approximately $15 million still available.