Developer given $22k waiver by Toowoomba Regional Council for uncompleted units in Pittsworth

The Toowoomba Regional Council has granted a developer of a series of units a big waiver of infrastructure charges under a policy to encourage investment in small towns.

A vacant block of land on Evans St in Pittsworth, which was approved for eight two-bedroom units in 2016 by the Toowoomba Regional Council.

A developer has been handed a discount in infrastructure charges from the Toowoomba Regional Council for an unfinished unit project in a small town.

Applicant CRC Developments Pty Ltd was approved by the council in 2016 for a set of eight two-bedroom units on a block of land on Evans St in Pittsworth, split into two stages.

The developer in July this year requested a discount to its $80,000 infrastructure charges bill for the second stage, which hasn’t been built, under the council’s Temporary Economic Development Incentives for District Townships policy.

The policy was designed by the council to encourage certain types of development in small towns across the Toowoomba region.

TRC planner Geoff Reid found the application met the outcomes of the scheme and granted the charges for each unit be reduced from $20,000 to $14,500, resulting in a $22,000 reduction in the bill.

“The report concludes that the approved development is eligible to apply for a discount of infrastructure charges under the Policy and, accordingly, the report recommends that council discount the infrastructure charges levied in the ICN by the amount applicable under the policy,” his report said.

CRC Developments still has to pay $58,000 in infrastructure charges as part of the second stage.

The vote will need to be ratified at the ordinary meeting next week.