We are updating our Development Serving Plan for Water Supply and Sewerage, and we'd like your feedback.
Take a look at the below information, including the changes to charges, and provide your feedback using the online form.
What is a Development Servicing Plan?
The Development Servicing Plan sets out the charges for new water and sewerage connections in the Byron Shire.
The charges ensure developers contribute to the cost of infrastructure that is needed to support growth in the Byron Shire.
All developers, in urban areas of the Shire, including people planning to build a house, need to pay for new connections to the water and sewer systems.
These charges are included in the fees associated with lodging a development application.
The NSW Government requires all councils that provide water and sewer services to have a Development Servicing Plan.
Take a look at the Draft Development Servicing Plan
Development Servicing Plan charges
The proposed new developer charges are per equivalent tenement (ET). This equals roughly how much demand a development places on the water and sewerage system.
One ET is equivalent to an average sized house. The bigger the development, the more ETs will be needed.
The proposed 2026 Development Servicing Plan charges are below.
Fees for Mullumbimby
The water fee for Mullumbimby is different to the rest of the Byron Shire.
This is to account for our plans to build a hybrid water supply. This will draw from Lavertys Gap Weir at Wilsons Creek and Rous County Council.
Proposed 2026 Development Servicing Plan
| Service area | Water charge (per ET) | Sewerage charge (per ET) | Rous Bulk Water (per ET) | Total (per ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mullumbimby | $9,721 | $14,375 | $10,598 | $34,694 |
| Byron Shire | $2,139 | $14,375 | $10,598 | $27,112 |
Current Development Servicing Plan charges
| Service area | Water charge (per ET) | Sewerage charge (per ET) | Rous Bulk Water (per ET) | Total (per ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mullumbimby | $11,584 | $12,947 | NA | $24,531 |
| Byron Shire | $986 | $12,947 | $10,598 | $24,531 |
Charges are calculated based on:
- Infrastructure costs to support future growth
- Share of system capacity used by new development.
This means:
- Existing customers fund existing infrastructure
- New development funds additional capacity required for growth.
These charges are based on the 2016 Developer Charges Guidelines for Water Supply, Sewerage and Stormwater
Most of Byron Shire gets its water from Rous County Council’s regional water network.
Rous has its own Development Servicing Plan to fund major water infrastructure like:
- dams
- treatment plants
- bulk water pipelines.
We collect Rous’s development charge on their behalf. This is separate from our water supply development charges.
The current Rous charge is $10,598 per ET.
Council recently decided to connect Mullumbimby to the Rous regional network. This means this charge is expected to start applying there too. We are currently negotiating the details with Rous.
