Planning

Resource management is an integral part of any planning or development project. It involves consultation and negotiation with a number of stakeholders, at different stages of a project, preparing necessary documentation and presenting evidence at both council and environmental court hearings, where necessary.

Davis Ogilvie’s planning team has extensive experience and covers all aspects associated with resource management planning including large scale land developments, private plan changes and providing site specific planning advice.

Our planning team is extremely versatile and adds value to all projects by working closely with our other teams including civil engineering and environmental and surveying. Together we find balanced solutions that satisfy a diverse range of needs and requirements.

We provide planning advice and solutions for a wide variety of development projects:

Resource consent applications including subdivision, earthworks, new buildings and activities to district councils
Resource consent applications including discharges to land, water and air to regional councils
Residential, commercial and industrial development planning
Private plan change requests
Property development advice including development feasibility and scoping reports
Assessment of environmental effects
Master planning
Submissions to notified resource consent applications, district and regional plans and strategies
Preparation and presentation of expert planning evidence at consent hearings
General planning advice
Consultation with affected parties including local runanga (iwi governing body) and key stakeholders

PLANNING AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FAQS

What is a resource consent?

A resource consent is a formal approval needed when a building or activity contravenes rules in District Plans or Regional Plans, or where one of these plans states that resource consent is required for a particular activity. Resource consent is also needed for all subdivision of land. Resource consents are sometimes referred to as ‘land use consents’, depending on the type of project.

There are different categories of resource consents, set up in a hierarchy from controlled activities, to non-complying activities. The different types of activities require different types of assessment.

How do I know if I need a resource consent?

Not all activities need resource consent. Some buildings and activities are permitted under the relevant district and regional plans and can be undertaken without resource consent. You will need resource consent if you do not meet a rule in the district or regional plan applying to your land.

These documents are available online, but are often difficult to navigate and even more difficult to find the rules that affect your particular development. Our team has extensive planning experience and can assist you with identifying what aspects of your proposal require resource consent and provide an assessment of the environmental effects associated with them.

How long does it take to get a resource consent?

If your application is non-notified (does not need public input), the Resource Management Act 1991 requires the local authority to issue their decision,if all the necessary information has been provided, within 20 working days. . Often further information requests are made by the local authority during this tim and an application will be put on hold until the requested information has been provided.

If your application is ‘limited notified’ or ‘fully notified’ the process may take three months or more, particularly if public submissions have been received and a public hearing is required.

Who else is involved?

A resource consent may require the involvement of other specialists such as (but not limited to) a traffic engineer, architect and landscape architect. We have a wide network of related and trusted professional contacts that we can call on and manage on your behalf. We are here to make the process as stress-free and seamless as possible for you.