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Auckland Council has introduced two lower-cost resource consent options for smaller and more straightforward projects.
The changes include a “specified consent”, which has a $3000 deposit, and a fixed-fee option for minor or temporary breaches of planning rules.
Specified consents can be used for projects such as minor residential extensions outside special character areas and single houses with no more than two planning rule infringements.
Some minor projects approved by council’s resource consent or built heritage teams may also qualify.
Auckland deputy mayor and Value for Money committee chair Desley Simpson says the changes are intended to make the consent process quicker and less expensive.
“Time is money and delay is cost,” Simpson says.
Council planning and resource consents general manager John Duguid says the council processes about 15,000 resource consents a year, or around 41 a day.
He says the new options should allow straightforward applications to be processed faster, while freeing staff to focus on more complex applications.
The second option, called a Marginal or Temporary Permitted Activity Notice (MATPAN), applies where an activity breaches planning rules only slightly or for a short period, and is not expected to have lasting adverse effects.
A MATPAN costs a fixed $1900. Applications are currently made using a downloadable form available from the council website rather than through the online consent system.
Council says providing all the required information when an application is lodged can also reduce processing times.
Complete applications that meet the criteria for council’s streamlined service can be approved in under 10 days, with eligible applications streamlined automatically.
A MATPLAN application form is available to download from the council website and should be emailed to: rcregulatorysupportcentral2@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
