Developer Services Charges

Our Developer Services Charging Arrangements sets out charges for services provided when developing land and laying new water and sewerage infrastructure to support new development and growth.

Our charging arrangements are reviewed regularly to ensure that our reasonable costs are covered and technical requirements are being met.

Charging arrangements 2024/25

Our Developer Services Charging Arrangements sets out charges for services provided when developing land and laying new water and sewerage infrastructure to support new development and growth.

Our charging arrangements are reviewed regularly to ensure that our reasonable costs are covered and technical requirements are being met.

For our frequently asked charges questions and answers please search below.

Board Assurance Statement

The South West Water Board of Directors publishes this Board Assurance Statement confirming that South West Water’s 2023/24 New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements are compliant with its legal obligations and consistent with Ofwat’s Charging Rules for New Connections Services (English Undertakers) dated March 2020.

Statement of significant changes

Charging Arrangements 2023/24

Our Developer Services Charging Arrangements sets out charges for services provided when developing land and laying new water and sewerage infrastructure to support new development and growth.

Our charging arrangements are reviewed regularly to ensure that our reasonable costs are covered and technical requirements are being met.

Please click here to use our Charges Calculator for 2023/24 charges.

For our frequently asked charges questions and answers please search below.

Board Assurance Statement

The South West Water Board of Directors publishes this Board Assurance Statement confirming that South West Water’s 2023/24 New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements are compliant with its legal obligations and consistent with Ofwat’s Charging Rules for New Connections Services (English Undertakers) dated March 2020.

Statement of significant changes

Charging Arrangements 2022/23

Our Developer Services Charging Arrangements sets out charges for services provided when developing land and laying new water and sewerage infrastructure to support new development and growth.

 

Our charging arrangements are reviewed regularly to ensure that our reasonable costs are covered and technical requirements are being met.

For our frequently asked charges questions and answers please search below.

 

Board Assurance Statement

 

The South West Water Board of Directors publishes this Board Assurance Statement confirming that South West Water’s 2022/23 New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements are compliant with its legal obligations and consistent with Ofwat’s Charging Rules for New Connections Services (English Undertakers) dated March 2020.

Statement of significant change

 

Charging Arrangements 2021/22

Our Developer Services Charging Arrangements sets out charges for services provided when developing land and laying new water and sewerage infrastructure to support new development and growth.

 

Our charging arrrangements are reviewed regularly to ensure that our reasonable costs are covered and technical requirements are being met.

For our frequently asked charges questions and answers please search below.

 

Board Assurance Statement

 

The South West Water Board of Directors publishes this Board Assurance Statement confirming that South West Water’s 2021/22 New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements are compliant with its legal obligations and consistent with Ofwat’s Charging Rules for New Connections Services (English Undertakers) dated March 2020.

Charging Arrangements 2020/21

New Charging rules for new water connections to water and wastewater network come into effect on the 1st April 2020. The new rules require water companies to change how they apportion income offsets and these are new charges for 20/21 and laid out in the New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements.

Board Assurance Statement

The South West Water Board of Directors publishes this Board Assurance Statement confirming that South West Water's 2020/21 New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements are compliant with its legal obligations and consistent with Ofwat's Charging Rules for New Connections Services (English Undertakers) dated July 2019.

Charging Arrangements 2019/20

The Water Act 2014 brought in changes that required all water companies to modify the way they charged customers for Developer Services related activities. Consequently Ofwat’s Charging Rules for New Connections Services (English Undertakers) first came into effect on 1 April 2018. The most recent version of these charging rules can be found here: https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/18-12-20-Charging-Rules-for-New-Connection-Services.pdf

South West Water’s modified charges were first laid out in our New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements 2018/19.

To maintain transparency, we have derived our 2019/20 charges by applying November 2018 RPI of 3.19% to our 2018/19 charges. In response to stakeholder feedback we have also clarified and added further text in some areas of the Charging Arrangements. Further detail is provided in the change log at the front of the document.

This document is applicable to Self-Lay Providers (SLPs), New Appointees (NAVs), Developers/Builders and Water supply and/or Sewerage Licensees (Retailers) applying for new connections services on behalf of non-household customers.

Board Assurance Statement

The South West Water Board of Directors publishes this Board Assurance Statement confirming that South West Water's 2019/20 New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements are compliant with its legal obligations and consistent with Ofwat's Charging Rules for New Connections Services (English Undertakers) dated 20 December 2018.

Charging Arrangements 2018/19

New charging rules for new connections to the water and wastewater network come into effect on 1 April 2018. The new rules require water companies to change how they have previously charged for new connections services and these new charges for 2018/19 are laid out in our New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements.

This document is applicable to Self-Lay Providers (SLPs), New Appointees (NAVs) and Developers/Builders.

Following Ofwat’s Information notice IN 18/05 and its revised Wholesale Charging Rules, published in March 2018, we have made some changes to our Developer Services Charging Arrangements. We are required to include, within our Developer Services Charging Arrangements, the provision for Water Supply Licensees (retailers) to request new connection services. We have made this change to the Charging Arrangements and republished accordingly.

We have also made minor changes and clarifications to our Charging Arrangements following further engagement with, and feedback from customers and stakeholders. No new or amended charges have been introduced as part of these minor changes. The document below summarises these changes.


Board Assurance Statement

The South West Water Board of Directors publishes this Board Assurance Statement confirming that South West Water's 2018/19 New Connections and Developer Services Charging Arrangements are compliant with its legal obligations and consistent with Ofwat's Charging Rules for New Connections Services (English Undertakers)

Charges changes from 1 April 2018

IMPORTANT NEWS – OUR CHARGES WILL BE CHANGING FROM 1 APRIL 2018

The Water Act 2014 brought in changes that mean that all water companies have been required to modify the way they charge customers for Developer Services related activities from April 2018.

Ofwat, the economic regulator, has published new rules that now mean that water companies will provide more fixed charges rather than bespoke prices on request. Ofwat’s rules follow the overarching principles of:

  • Stability and predictability
  • Transparency and customer-focused charging
  • Fairness and affordability, and
  • Environmental protection

From 2017/18 the way that we charge for Developer Services related activities has changed and if you would like to know more further details can be found on the following links:

Charges


Each quotation is calculated individually based on the information provided in your application, the location of our existing water network and the work involved.

Your charges will be shown on your quotation. They will consist of:

  • relevant new connections charges
  • plus the water infrastructure charge (if applicable)
  • less the design charge (if applicable)

Infrastructure charges

Infrastructure charges apply to premises being connected to water and sewerage services for domestic purposes for the first time. These were introduced under Section 146 of the Water Industry Act 1991 so that water (and sewerage) companies can improve their water networks to meet the extra demand that new connections place on them.

VAT on New Connections Charging Arrangements

This section is a summary description of the VAT liability of charges and is subject to changes in VAT legislation and rates of VAT. Where there is a change to the law relating to the VAT during the period of this document, the Company will apply the VAT in accordance with the law.

All charges in our Charging Arrangements document are shown exclusive of VAT. VAT, where applicable,  will be charged at the appropriate rate.

The VAT rules regarding engineering and construction services are complicated.  Broadly, the VAT position depends upon the type of work carried out and the nature of the property being connected.

The Company will charge VAT on its supplies based on HMRC VAT Notice 708 and using the Developer Services-VAT treatment and the detailed provided here.

Please note that we may need to request information from you to certify the status of the property being connected.

Your views on our 2023-24 Developer Services Charges

We are doing this as it is important to understand the views of our customers and stakeholders about the elements that they like and those that they would like to be changed or improved.

Whilst we maintain consultation with our customers throughout the year this engagement is intended to provide you with the opportunity to influence the changes that we will consider to our existing arrangements.

 

South West Water approach to customer engagement 2023-24 Developer Services charges