The Resource Management Act 1991 requires local Councils to ensure that effects on the environment are managed sustainably. One of the Council’s jobs is to decide whether to grant a resource consent for someone to undertake an activity that might affect the environment.
In the 2007 to 2008 financial year Waikato District Council received a total of 779 consent applications.
Of those applications:
- 377 were for Subdivision
- 382 were for Land Use
- 20 were designations
The vast majority of resource consent applications are approved, some are withdrawn and very few are declined.
Consents Processing Team
Upon receipt of the consent application, a staff member from the appropriate departments will carry out a site visit, assess the application, and compile a report.
Most applications will be assessed by the following three departments:
Consents Planners
Councils Planners assess the application against the rules in the Waikato District Plan. The Consents Planners also review all building consent applications and determine if there is any thing in the proposal that would require a separate resource consent.
Consents Planners also co-ordinate the assessment process and compile the final assessment report once the other departments have provided their assessments. The Consents Planners will generally be the point of contact during the consent application process.
Roading Engineers
The Roading Regulatory Team assess the consent for compliance with the roading requirements of the District Plan. Most of the general roading requirements can be found in Appendix A and B of the Proposed District Plan.
Once the roading assessment has been carried out (including a site inspection) the proposed roading conditions are forwarded to the relevant Consents Planner for inclusion in the approved consent.
Utilities Engineers
Council's Utilities Engineers, are responsible for ensuring that subdivisions have building platforms that are free from natural hazards. Slope stability and flooding/ponding are the two most common concerns within the Waikato District.
The Utilities engineers also need to be satisfied that water supply, stormwater and wastewater can be effectively managed for subdivision or proposed land use, without adversely effecting the environment or Council’s existing infrastructure.
Following the application assessment the Utilities Engineer will forward the report to the Consents Planner who has been assigned the consent.
Other Departments
Other Council departments that may be asked to comment on specific applications are the Environmental Health Officers and Park and Reserves.
Conditions on Consents
The activities that consents are required for are not permitted, therefore most consents will contain conditions if the consent is granted.
It is the consent holder’s responsibility to ensure the conditions of the consent are followed.
Some conditions may be one-off, such as submitting engineering plans for approval. Other conditions may require on-going compliance such as a restriction on noise.
Council’s Environmental Monitoring Team actively monitor consents, including old consents, to ensure that any conditions imposed are followed. In cases of non-compliance Council staff will try to work through the issues with the consent holder. In extreme cases abatement and enforcement orders may be used to achieve specific environmental or compliance outcomes.
More Consent Information
Further information can be found by looking at our consent brochures or visiting the Ministry For the Environment website.