Planning and Resource ConsentsTono whakaaetanga rawa taiao

Lodging a Resource Consent Application

To lodge your resource consent application you will need to fill in the Application Form, provide a site plan, and supporting documents to planner@chbdc.govt.nz. A minimum fee will apply, this will need to be paid prior to the consent being processed by the council. Please check our Fees and Charges page for further information.

Applicants will be charged for the full processing time and expert input into all resource consents. The move towards recovering these costs will ensure that the true cost of issuing a resource consent will be covered by the applicant and reduces the reliance on ratepayer funding for this service. Charges may also be made to monitor your resource consent. 

Once your application has been submitted, part of the council’s decision-making is to determine whether to process the application as publicly notified, limited notified, or non-notified. 

• Non-notified

The council may decide that the general public need not be involved if the adverse effects on the environment are no more than minor and there are no adversely affected persons (unless they have given their approval). Most resource consent applications fall into this category, which means there is no submission process.

Consent applications may also be non-notified if the applicant has consulted with any potentially affected persons before application, and received their written approval.

• Limited notified 

If a council does not publicly notify an application, it must still decide if there are people who will be adversely affected by the activity to a degree that is at least ‘minor’, known as affected persons. The council must notify them of the application unless a rule in a district/regional plan or national environmental standard prevents this. Only those people will be served notice and can make a submission on the application.

• Publicly notified 

This is generally when the council assesses if a proposal will have or is likely to have adverse effects on the environment that are more than minor. The council publishes its notice of proposal on the internet, and a summary in a newspaper available in the area likely to be affected. Anybody can make a submission on the proposal. Submitters can be for or against an activity, or be neutral but wanting to provide additional information. They can ask to be heard in support of their submission. Publicly notified applications usually involve a public hearing.

An application may also be publicly notified if the applicant requests it, if special circumstances exist, or if the district/regional plan or a national environmental standard says it must.

You can help to make sure your consent application is processed quickly if you:

• Talk to the Council staff early on about what you want to do
• Talk to people who you or the Council thinks might be affected by your proposal
• Give the Council a well prepared assessment of the environmental effects
• Respond quickly to requests for further information

Councils can decide to either grant or decline a resource consent. Usually when the council grant consents some conditions will apply. The council will also probably check that what you are doing is in line with your resource consent. This could mean that a council officer will visit the site, take some measurements or require you to monitor the activity. Councils also decide how long to grant resource consent for. Some consents (like subdivision) last forever, while others might only last for a specified timeframe (for example to operate a concert event).

If you're thinking about buying land or buildings it's worth asking the local city or district council for a Land Information Memorandum. This report will tell you what information the council has about that piece of land, including what the land can be used for under the district plan rules. If you want to check that an activity is okay under the council's plan you can ask the council for a certificate of compliance.

If you're doing something that requires a building consent, before your start building you can get a Project Information Memorandum which will also tell you if you need to apply for a resource consent.

Public Notifications of Resource Consent Applications

Resource Consents Applications of Public Interest