August 11, 2022
Gympie Regional Council will give developers in Goomeri and Kilkivan a substantial discount on infrastructure charges to encourage more construction in both towns.
Under the scheme, developers of homes will pay $20,307 per lot in either town, compared with $30,667 elsewhere in the Gympie region.
Hotels, tourist parks and other commercial developments in both towns will also enjoy the lower charges, which reflect the cost of providing services such as road construction, parks, sewerage, water pipes and stormwater drains.
The decision to reduce the fees was made at the Council’s most recent ordinary meeting.
Division 6 Cr Hilary Smerdon – who suggested the change – said he was concerned that keeping infrastructure charges the same as the rest of Gympie region would be a disincentive to development.
He also thought the reduced fees would better reflect the lower return on investment that developers would receive compared with similar developments in Gympie or eastern parts of the region.
He believed lower charges would encourage more development in the west over time.
The reduced fees, which came into effect on August 1, are the same as the charges that were levied in the Gympie region in 2017.
The motion to set the lower infrastructure charge rate was moved by Cr Smerdon, seconded by Cr Warren Polley and carried unanimously.
