Fishermans Bend levy set at $38,167 a dwelling under GC224

Developers building in Fishermans Bend now face a single, fixed infrastructure charge of $38,167 per new dwelling, after Amendment GC224 brought the area’s Development Contributions Plan (DCP) into the Melbourne and Port Phillip planning schemes.

Why it matters

The DCP replaces interim contribution arrangements that have applied to the Capital City Zone precincts since 2014. It rolls essential infrastructure, open space and drainage into one levy, and the Minister for Housing, Building and Precincts is the collecting agency, according to the Victorian Government’s DCP page. The precincts are Lorimer, Montague, Sandridge and Wirraway, which straddle the City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip.

The plan replaces the separate 8 per cent public open space contribution and a drainage charge that Melbourne Water would otherwise have set. Projects already approved can continue under the arrangements in place when they were approved.

The numbers

For 2026/2027, indexed annually, the residential rate is $38,167 per dwelling: $27,514 for essential infrastructure, $7,347 for public open space and $3,306 for major drainage and flood mitigation. Non-residential floor area is charged $315 per sqm of gross floor area ($228, $60 and $27 for the same three components). A contribution can also apply when a permit amendment adds dwellings or floor area.

The Premier’s release of 8 October 2026 says the plan covers more than 117 infrastructure projects staged through 2055. It cites almost $9 billion of private investment in the pipeline, more than 16,300 homes proposed, about 4,700 delivered or under construction, and about 12,500 additional jobs from new commercial development. Those are government figures, not independently verified.

An Open Space Uplift lets owners of eligible sites build extra dwellings above normal density limits in exchange for remediated, landscaped open space transferred to council. Those projects sit outside the DCP and earn no DCP credits.

What’s next

The government says it is finalising the Montague Precinct Implementation Plan, which will update design controls for the next 10 years. Developers with proposals in the pipeline should check their site liability, credits and exemptions with the Department of Transport and Planning at fishermansbend@transport.vic.gov.au. The amendment record is listed on Planning Schemes Online. More coverage is on the Victoria hub.