Council is seeking feedback from the Community about the proposed changes to Commercial Developer Charges.

Council’s current water and sewer Developer Charges were adopted by Council in 2018. The charges were developed in accordance with the then NSW Department of Primary Industries “2016 Developer Charges Guidelines for Water Supply, Sewerage and Stormwater” and the final adopted charges include different charges across the water and sewerage service areas.

When adopting the present charges, it was also resolved that “the Director Water and Waste investigate policy options that consider mitigation strategies on the impacts of Developer Service Charges on non-residential development in the service areas of Hills Plains and Arcadia”.

Council was presented these options in a Council meeting in August 2025. The options presented were as follows:

Option 1 – Current charges and methodology to remain the same as adopted previously.

Option 2 – Create a uniform Non-Residential Developer Charge across the identified areas (Tamworth, Hills Plain, Arcadia) using agglomeration (utilising weighted averages based on present value of equivalent tenements).

Option 3 – Create a uniform Non-Residential Developer Charge across the identified areas (Tamworth, Hills Plain, Arcadia) equal to the lowest charge.

Council resolved to move ahead with option 3 and place the proposed charges on public display for at least 28 days.

The proposed charges are:

Please submit your feedback below.