Planning

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.

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.

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.

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.

Book a time for a meeting to discuss your planning requirements.