Bathurst Regional Council will next week consider a report regarding a request to reduce a financial contribution towards water and sewer headworks for the Taco Bell development on the corner of Howick and Stewart streets.

These contributions come at a combined cost of just over $92,000.

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In correspondence received by council, concern was raised over the increasing costs the property owner is facing to prepare the site for the Taco Bell restaurant.

The email said: "The project just blows out in costs, as it stands it will cost me approximately $1.4 million just to prepare the site with services before construction even starts."

Senior planning staff have recommended that the developer contributions still be required, with the report noting that the request does not follow the usual protocol.

The correspondence did not come through the developer or property owner, nor was it received in the form of a formal modification under Section 4.55 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.

Instead, the correspondence came from a relative of the property owner, who indicated they had the authority to act on their behalf.

"The act enables a modification application to be made by the 'applicant or any other person entitled to act on a consent'," the report to council said.

"It is therefore not open to council to formally modify the conditions imposed on the consent unless and until an application to modify the consent is lodged and assessed."

If this recommendation is adopted by council, the developer will have to contribute $32,546.25 for water headworks and $59,598 for sewer headworks.

These contributions are routinely imposed on developments that increase the demand for water and sewer infrastructure, like residential subdivisions and commercial developments.

The way these charges have been calculated is consistent with how council calculates charges for other developments.

"The current charges have been calculated using well established guidelines which have been applied to other similar developments. It is therefore not appropriate to reduce the contributions figures as requested," the report said.

Council has previously agreed to modify some conditions of consent for the Taco Bell development.

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