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Record Number of Resource Consents Received
Record Number of Resource Consents Received
Dunedin (Friday, 4 July 2014) – The Dunedin City Council received a record number of resource consent applications during June, with 174 received over the month.
DCC Resource Consents Manager Alan Worthington says the previous record for consent applications received in a calendar month was 165 in June 2008. Of the applications received last month, 112 were received in the last six days of June and the last day alone accounted for 53. For the past 16 years the monthly number of consents has averaged 87.
Mr Worthington says an increase in applications had been anticipated ahead of the DCC’s new Development Contributions Policy being introduced on 1 July, but the level of that increase was greater than expected. The new policy resets the infrastructure charges incurred by new developments within the DCC’s jurisdiction.
“The previous 2008 record was set when the economy was really humming,” says Mr Worthington. “But, on this occasion, I don’t believe we will suddenly see a dramatic increase in building projects around the city.
“When people apply for a resource consent they have five years before they have to give effect to their consent. With a subdivision they have a further three years to comply with their conditions. Many of those who made their consent applications last month will have been forward planning, anticipating an increase in development contributions.”
Mr Worthington notes that the last significant rise in the number of resource consent applications occurred in 2011 when the Development Contributions Policy was initially to be introduced, but it was put on hold for a review.
The projects described in June’s applications are typical and are predominantly residential, ranging from dividing individual sections to larger subdivision projects.
The DCC has an experienced planning team and the increased workload will be managed through a range of options, including some staff focusing solely on consent processing and the use of consultants if necessary.
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