Developer charges – water and wastewater
Water Supply and Sewerage Developer Charges are applied to any development that creates new or increased demands upon water supply and wastewater systems.
The charges are levied so Council can fund the infrastructure required for developments, such as reservoirs, trunk mains, sewerage treatments works and pump stations.
When assessing proposed developments, we consider whether system capacity is available and infrastructure meets quality and safety standards.
Do I need to pay developer charges?
If you need to pay Developer Charges for water supply and/or sewerage for your development, a condition on your Development Consent, Complying Development Certificate or Section 68 Approval will state that you need to apply for a Certificate of Compliance for Water Supply and Sewerage.
The Developer Charge for water supply and sewerage per Equivalent Tenement (ET) are listed in Council's fees and payments.
What is a Certificate of Compliance?
A Certificate of Compliance shows that Council's development requirements for water supply and/or sewerage have been satisfied (including payment of Developer Charges and/or completion of works). It also records the ET entitlements applied to a particular land parcel.
A Certificate of Compliance is issued under Section 307 of the Water Management Act 2000.
Application for Certificate of Compliance for Water Supply and Sewerage Requirements(PDF, 140KB)
Options for payment of developer charges
Residential Developments and Subdivisions are required to pay Developer Charges for water and wastewater before the issue of a Construction Certificate or Subdivision Certificate.
For any industrial or commercial development, such as for business establishment, expansion or change of use, property owners have the option of paying for any additional Water and Sewerage use above their ET entitlement as High Water Consumption and High Sewerage Usage Charges on an ongoing basis via their water bills, in place of upfront Developer Charges.
Council's Business Investment Policy(PDF, 495KB) outlines a range of incentives relating to Water and Wastewater Developer Charges designed to encourage new business and the expansion of existing business in the Tweed.
Development Servicing Plans
Development Servicing Plans (DSP) detail the water supply and sewerage developer charges to be levied on development areas served by Council.
Disclaimer: The plans included in the DSP for water supply and sewerage may not be accurate. To confirm the location of lots within the DSP area please email Council’s Water and Wastewater Development Assessment team at wateradmin@tweed.nsw.gov.au.
Development Servicing Plans for Water Supply and Sewerage(PDF, 39MB)
Cross subsidies
The DSP’s for water supply and sewerage in the Tweed Shire apply a single uniform shire-wide Developer Charge for water supply and sewerage.
Council has adopted water supply and sewerage Developer Charges that are lower than the calculated Developer Charges for some service areas. This means that existing residents will subsidise part of the new development in higher cost areas. The cross-subsidy is the difference between the annual bill with the calculated weighted average (maximum) developer charge and the proposed developer charge.
Water
The water supply Developer Charge results in an average cross-subsidy for developers of $580 per ET (2019$) being a cross-subsidy from the medium-term water supply typical residential bill (TRB) of $10 (2019$) per assessment p.a.
Sewerage
The sewerage Developer Charge results in an average cross subsidy for developers of $1,083 per ET (2019$) being a cross subsidy from the medium-term sewerage TRB of $18 (2019$) per assessment p.a.
Section 68 Applications
If the completion of works on Water and Sewer Infrastructure is required to satisfy the requirements of a Section 306 letter, developers must apply for approval from Council to carry out such works under section 68 of the Local Government Act 1993.
If the completion of works on Water and Sewer Infrastructure is also required to obtain a Certificate of Compliance, developers must apply for approval from Council to carry out such works under section 68 of the Local Government Act 1993.
An approval for an activity under Section 68 of the Local Government Act 1993 can be sought from Council under 2 separate assessment processes. These 2 processes are either as a stand-alone application for the activity, or in conjunction with a Development Application.
Some examples may include:
- water reticulation main extension from existing Council infrastructure to the front on their property
- sewer ejection pumping station and rising main installation to Council gravity sewer system
- new gravity sewer or water reticulation as part of a subdivision
- water or sewer main diversion works
- raising/lowering sewer manhole access cover.
Visit Forms and applications to find the relevant forms.
