Rockyview developer gets council fees slashed by $350k for proposed 404-lot Mildura Rise Estate

The brains trust behind a proposed new 404-lot subdivision on Rockhampton’s outskirts did not submit its development application properly, but it was still smart enough to win a massive reduction in council fees. Here’s how they did it.

Plans have been lodged with Livingstone Shire Council for a new 404-lot subdivision to be built at Rockyview.

In a classic case of “you will never know unless you ask” a developer with plans for a new 404-lot subdivision on Rockhampton’s outskirts has secured a massive $350,000 reduction in council fees.

Procon Developments Pty Ltd is in the process of seeking approval for its proposed Mildura Rise Estate at Rockyview but it has already had a big win.

The developer recently asked Livingstone Shire Council to reduce development application fees for its project which were set at $502,937.

At Livingstone’s monthly meeting on June 21, councillors voted to support a recommendation from officers to adhere to the request and reduce the fees to $150,000.

Before councillors voted, Cr Andrea Friend asked Livingstone’s Jenna Davies (manager Liveability) to explain the reason behind the recommendation to reduce the fees to $150,000.

“Application fees have to be a cost recovery fee, so when calculating the application fee for both the reconfiguring of lot and for the preliminary approval, it totals $502,000 approximately, which is a very significant fee,” Ms Davies said.

Council documents state that under Livingstone Shire Council’s fees and charges, officers calculated the fees to be $217,862 for the reconfiguring a lot component and $285,075 for the preliminary approval (based on one dwelling house per lot).

Further responding to Cr Friend, Ms Davies added: “We have done an assessment and had a look at other applications, and just had a look at what hours I suppose we spend on similar applications and have determined that $150,000 is a reasonable fee for this type of application, for the two components... and it has been consistent I suppose with other applications of this nature.”

Plans have been lodged with Livingstone Shire Council for a new 404-lot subdivision to be built at Rockyview.

Council documents also show the developer in this matter made representations to Livingstone seeking a fees reduction and part of its case were comparisons to fees applied by other councils including Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.

Cr Friend thanked Ms Davies for her explanation and said this would be a “very contentious development moving forward” because of the boundary review underway.

Livingstone Shire is fighting desperately to stop three crucial suburbs - Glenlee, Glendale and Rockyview - from being lost to Rockhampton Regional Council.

Ms Davies also explained that because this development application for Mildura Rise Estate had not been properly submitted to the council, there was still a number of steps the DA had to go through before it would go to public consultation.

Cr Friend pushed for this matter to “lay on the table” until a full complement of councillors was present at the meeting (Mayor Andy Ireland and Cr Rhodes Watson both absent).

But Cr Friend’s motion for that to happen was lost.

Cr Nigel Hutton then moved that council support the officer’s recommendation and that was seconded by Cr Pat Eastwood.

The majority of councillors present voted in favour of that motion and it was carried.