My Account
The Act that created the Covid-19 fast-track resource consenting process will be repealed on July 8 and recently Council sought an extension of its authority to cover until that happens. The fast tracked process allows an expert consenting panel to make decisions on resource consent applications and set conditions on projects before they go ahead. Council staff’s role is largely limited to flagging when an application has issues such as significant infrastructure impacts or being inconsistent with Council plans. The extension of time, a technicality, was made by the Regulatory and Safety Committee at its April 14 meeting. During the ensuing discussion, Albany Ward Cr Wayne Walker voiced his opposition to fast tracking consents.
“Various developers are using this extension to get through developments that are not desirable,” he said.
He said the impacts of Covid-19 finished “some time ago” and that he knew of an application in his ward that was going through under the legislation.
“We need to have an evaluation of this process,” he said.
Walker said his comments were irrespective of political parties and that fast-tracking legislation had all been bad.
