Councils to tap into $250m pool for public spaces

Sydney councils will each be eligible for up to $5.5 million in funding for parklands, town squares and main streets under a state government scheme aimed at speeding up development assessments for projects that boost jobs and housing.

The $250 million funding program is a further attempt by the NSW government to stimulate economic activity and ensure a pipeline of construction projects amid a severe slowdown sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said councils that fast-tracked assessments of job-creating projects would be given incentives through funding of up to $5.5 million each to spend on upgrading public domains under the state’s public spaces legacy program.

It comes as the government has pushed through determinations for 67 planning proposals and projects worth $17.7 billion, including schools and housing, across the state since the pandemic struck in March. A further 13 projects are due to be decided upon by mid-August after their assessment was sped up.