December 17, 2020
A rural residential estate developer who said their development would generate $50 million worth of business for the local economy has been refused an exemption from paying Operational Works application fees.
At December’s General Meeting on Wednesday, South Burnett Regional Council officers reported the developer was seeking an exemption from the charge, which applies to all developments covered by the Planning Act 2016.
According to regulations, the fee can only be waived if the applicant is a registered not-for-profit organisation.
Officers said the applicant did not meet that criterion.
However, they added that under the Council’s recently introduced Development Incentive Scheme, the applicant would be able to claim a substantial discount on infrastructure charges providing they proceeded with their project in the next 18 months.
They recommended Councillors reject the developer’s request, and Councillors agreed.
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The same thinking applied to a separate request from another developer, who asked Council to waive its $2900 fee for the reconfiguration of land associated with a residential development proposal in Markwell Street, Kingaroy.
The developer told Council their project would cost $3 million – a welcome injection into the local economy – and provide much-needed accommodation close to the CBD.
The applicant also reminded officers it had previously paid fees to Council between 2010 and 2018 for other projects on the site that had not gone ahead.
Officers reported that if the developer started work on their latest project in the next 18 months, they would get a significant discount on their infrastructure charges under the Development Incentive Scheme.
And since the applicant was a company registered with ASIC and therefore ineligible for the waiver not-for-profits could receive, they had no other option than to recommend Council reject the request.
- Related article: Incentives Unveiled For Developers
