Resource consent costs and speed improve

Good news for residents and developers who are building or renovating – resource consents are taking less time to process and are often cheaper as a result.

A key reason has been a reduction in the use of outside consultants, helping to speed up the consenting process. This has reduced the cost of consents because consultant rates have to be passed onto customers.

Faster turn-around times are also due to gaps in the Resource Consent Team being filled. Getting the team up to full strength has enabled it to review operational efficiency and improve service quality by completing previously deferred tasks. These include:

• Updating engineering and planning standard conditions
• Reviewing, renewing, and creating new practice notes
• Drafting an Iwi and Hapū Engagement Plan for Resource Consent Planners.

Independent consultants will continue to be required on occasion, when an independent review is needed for complex applications or if consents involve a conflict of interest.

The recent improvement in turn-around times holds true for consents that are counted in working days or calendar days.

Visit our resource-consents webpage for more information.

Below – the downward trend in the number days taken to process applications.

Below – a visual representation of the decreased use of consultants for processing resource consents.

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