Logan City Council has voted to halve infrastructure charges on one-bedroom granny flats in a move intended to encourage more secondary dwellings. ABC News reported on Wednesday (7 October) that the decision would save $13,500 on the existing $27,000 charge, with the changes expected to commence in November 2026.
The motion passed with eight councillors supporting it, three opposing and one abstaining, according to the ABC. Councillor Nathan St Ledger backed the reduction, arguing that the growing unaffordability of housing was prompting more families to consider moving in together and that council's charges were preventing more granny flats from being built.
St Ledger said the measure would bolster the supply of affordable housing in Logan. Mayor Jon Raven opposed it, warning that the discount could encourage property investors to fit more renters onto small backyard lots. The disagreement centred on whether lower charges would help households seeking additional accommodation or worsen overcrowding.
Raven linked his concerns to Queensland laws introduced in 2022 that allowed owners to rent granny flats to people outside their family, the ABC reported. He said earlier attempts to encourage secondary dwellings had produced severe suburban overcrowding.
The council's infrastructure charging guidance explains that charges apply to development creating extra demand on trunk infrastructure networks. That can include subdivisions, changes of use and building work. Trunk infrastructure serves larger areas or catchments, including water and sewerage facilities, parks and main roads.
In its fact sheet for the 2025 charges resolution, council says developer contributions help fund major roads, parks, water, drainage and sewerage networks for growing communities. That document describes secondary-dwelling charges being levied in line with those for a dwelling house, providing the background to the charge now being reduced.
Under Logan's existing rules, infrastructure charges can be waived entirely where a granny flat is connected to the primary house and used by family members, the ABC reported. That existing family-use arrangement is separate from the council's newly reported decision to halve the charge for one-bedroom secondary dwellings.
Council's charging webpage says the applicable resolution depends on the development decision stage or the lodging of building-work approval documents. It currently lists the version that commenced on 1 September 2025. Property owners seeking an estimate for a particular proposal can use the infrastructure charging estimator in the Logan PD Hub or contact the council's infrastructure charging team.