Rotorua among best in country for consent processing and charges

Rotorua District Council (RDC) is processing 100 per cent of resource consents within statutory timeframes and charging applicants significantly less than the national average.

These are the key findings of a recently released Ministry for the Environment two-yearly survey of local authorities, for the 2012/13 year.

During this period Rotorua District Council processed 224 resource land-use and subdivision consent applications, of which 2.68 per cent were ‘publicly notified’ and the same percentage ‘limited notified.’ No resource consent applications were declined by the council during the period.

RDC Sustainable Economic Growth Strategy lead, Councillor Mike McVicker, said the survey results confirm that Rotorua’s resource consent processing stacked up well against other councils around the country.

“In terms of both meeting timeframes and low charges for processing applications, we’re ahead of the game here in Rotorua.

“This is actually the second successive year our council team has successfully processed 100 per cent of resource consents on or ahead of time. In fact 65 per cent of all land-use consents were processed in under 15 working days, which is well ahead of requirements under the Resource Management Act.

“The Ministry for the Environment’s report also shows that Rotorua fees are lower than the national average minimum, the average median and average maximum charges. On all fronts our resource consent charges for the 2012/13 year were significantly lower than the national average. “

The median Rotorua District Council charge for a non-notified consent in Rotorua was $591 whereas the national average median of $1308 was $771 more than in Rotorua

“These results are very pleasing as they provide a good base for helping to attract development and investment in our city and district, something we’re keen to see as part of our Rotorua 2030 vision for the district. Having a high performing consenting team supports our key priority around growing and attracting new investment as well that of building effective council services,” Mr McVicker said.

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