A resource consent is permission to use a resource such as land in a way that contravenes rules in the relevant planning document. There are different categories of resource consents, set up in a hierarchy from controlled activities to non-complying activities. The different types of activities require different assessment.

Not all activities need resource consent. Some buildings and activities are “permitted” under the relevant district and regional plans and can be undertaken without a resource consent. You need a resource consent if you do not meet a rule in the district or regional plan applying to your land. You may also need a resource consent under high level documents such as a National Environmental Standard. ​ These documents are available online but can be difficult to navigate and even more difficult to find the rules that affect your development. Our team has extensive planning experience and can assist you with identifying what aspects of your proposal require resource consent, and providing assessment of the environmental effects associated with those. We have a wide network of related professional contacts who have a proven track record. We can utilise these contacts to provide a seamless service to you where their input is needed.

Councils generally charge for the actual cost of providing a service and disbursements. This means that fees vary depending on the type and complexity of the resource consent application. You can find the resource consent deposit fees on the Council websites, but our experience indicates this often does not cover the entire cost of processing the application.

All resource consents come subject to conditions. The conditions vary for each resource consent, but are all legally required to be complied with. At Planning Plus™ we can assist you with meeting these conditions and can manage this process for you.

A submission may be in relation to another resource consent application or a new plan/plan change. A submission is your opportunity to communicate with the Council and identify the aspects of the project that you agree with and/or have concerns with and the decision you would like the Council to make. This is an important process and you need to make sure you get it right. Your submission should include the correct information, assessment and be made in the proper legal format. This is often a process that people seek professional advice with.

A resource consent can involve other specialists such as an engineer, traffic engineer, surveyor or ecologist. At Planning Plus™ we have extensive resource management experience and can identify the team of experts that will be needed for your specific proposal. We have a wide network of industry professionals who we know and trust to do an excellent job on your project. We can contact and manage these specialists on your behalf, and can manage the resource consent process for you from conception to obtaining consent and beyond. One of our aims is to make the process as stress-free and easy for you as possible; we work hard to achieve this on every project. How we work