🤔 Is your development eligible for the small dwelling Watercare infrastructure charge?
I posted this on my WhatsApp group this morning and had a stronger response than I expected — many did not know about this reduced charge.
IT IS NOT WELL PUBLICISED AT ALL AND IS REALLY DIFFICULT TO FIND ON-LINE.
It seems to relate to units that are 65 m2 or less in their USEABLE INTERNAL FLOOR SPACE.
Get this assessed by your designer and documented. This may make slightly bigger units qualify — but again, get it measured by your designer!
Watercare uses a fixed water use rate of 220 kilo litres per household per year to assign the IGCs. This is what they call a DUE (development unit equivalent).
I didn’t know that my peer developers didn’t know this — hence I am putting this out there on my three social media forums.
The IGCs are around $21,000 per new connection now. Next year they go up to $25,500 per new connection. If you are less than 65 m2 (I think this is useable floor space) then you pay 66% of that fee. You have to hunt through the website to find it AND you have to apply for it and I am guessing that you apply when the estimate/invoice is sent.
Meanwhile, if you are developing small units, DO NOT MISS OUT ON THE SMALL UNIT adjustment… it is neatly hidden away and too few know about it!
I suggest that when your assessment comes to you, you respond with the formal usable floor space documentation from your designer. Make sure their name is against it so it is ‘official’.
