How we assess your application

Once we've received your application and you've paid your initial fee, the clock will start on the assessment process. One of our planners from the resource consents team will then take up to 10 working days to do an initial check for:

• missing information
• any inaccuracies in your application.

You will receive an email or letter to confirm that your application has been accepted.

If we decide your application is incomplete

Your application can be returned to you within 10 working days if it is missing required information.

You will receive an email or letter outlining:

• why it is considered to be incomplete, i.e., what is missing
• any outstanding fees or refunds.

The processing planner assigned to your application will undertake a full review of the application, including the assessment of environmental effects of your proposed activity, to make sure it meets the requirements of the Resource Management Act 1991.

The planner will assess if your application:

• considers the effects the proposed activity will have on the wider environment
• needs written approvals from affected persons, such as your neighbours
• needs input from other internal Council departments
• needs specialist input, such as a traffic or an acoustic engineer
• needs to have specific conditions to avoid, remedy or mitigate any adverse effects

If your application qualifies as a permitted boundary activity

If you apply for a resource consent but we determine that your application qualifies as a permitted boundary activity instead, we will advise you to reapply for a permitted boundary activity.

You will get a refund for the initial application fee you paid for your resource consent, less the charges for the time we spent on it.

We will send you a request for information email or letter if we need more information from you about your application. The clock/working days will stop on the assessment process. You will have 15 working days to respond, or you can request an extension of time if you need it.

If you don't respond within 15 working days (or an alternative time agreed by us), your application may be processed as a publicly notified consent.

If we decide to commission a report

We may need to commission a report to help us understand a technical aspect of your application – for example, a report relating to a contaminated site, or to obtain a peer review for a specialist area that is outside the expertise of our internal staff. The fee for this is determined on a case-by-case basis.

The clock/working days will stop on the assessment process if the report is being commissioned because we consider that the adverse effect(s) of your proposal may be significant.

The processing planner will prepare a report that recommends whether or not the public, or specific persons, should be given an opportunity to have a say on your application.

We must decide to process your application as either a:

• non-notified consent if your application will have ‘no more than minor’ adverse effects on the environment and there are considered to be no ‘adversely affected persons’; or
• limited notified consent if we consider that specific persons will be adversely affected by your proposal (you'll be given the opportunity to seek their written approval first); or
• publicly notified consent if your application adversely affects the wider environment, including the broader community, to a 'more than minor' extent.

You will need to pay additional fees if you wish to proceed with a limited or publicly notified application.

If your application is notified, it will be open for submissions for up to 20 working days (either to the public generally or limited to certain persons as discussed above).  You will receive an email or letter from the processing planner to let you about any submission received.

If we consider that a hearing is necessary, or you or any submitters on the application request to be heard, then we have to hold a hearing.

If we grant your resource consent, it will list the conditions you need to comply with. These can include conditions that need to be met before you start physical work, when undertaking the activity, and any ongoing requirements.

If we are considering declining your consent, we will let you know the reasons why in advance.

If extra costs are incurred as part of processing your application or we spent more time than the initial application fee covers, you or your agent will be sent a final invoice for the additional charges by email.

If you are not satisfied with our decision on your resource consent, you are entitled to:

• Lodge an objection with us about the decision (or part of the decision, such as the consent conditions).
• You can appeal the decision to the Environment Court, however there is no right of appeal for a boundary activity unless that boundary activity had a non-complying activity status (section 120 of the Resource Management Act 1991).

If you take the first option, to object to us, and you are unhappy with the outcome of the objection, you can then appeal our decision on your objection to the Environment Court.