4 JULY 2016
Dramatic Rise in Building Activity Indicates Strong Growth

Building activity is booming in the Mackenzie District Council’s patch – with much of it appearing to be in higher value residential dwellings and other developments.

The record growth is reflected in the number of building and resource consents issued in the first six months of 2016.

“This dramatic rise is part of a significant trend that we’ve seen developing over the past two years. It’s a real positive for our district that we continue to experience this level of growth,” says Mackenzie District Council Planning and Regulations Manager, Nathan Hole.

The number of resource consent applications received from 1 January to 30 June 2016 is more than twice as many as the same period in 2015. To date, 101 resource consent applications have been received in the first six months of 2016, compared with 32 over the same period last year.

“This indicates that there is a whole lot more activity occurring within the district. Many projectsinvolving visitor accommodation and commercial development, as well as some farm developments, require resource consents.”

The value of building consents granted has increased to $28.1 million (January to June 2016) from $16.7 million in the same period of 2015. A significant project granted a building consent in 2016 is a $7.6 million hotel development in Tekapo.

In the first six months of 2016, 183 building consents were granted compared with 153 in the same period of 2015.

The number of LIM (land information memorandum) requests has also increased to 156 in 2016 from 114 in 2015. This suggests that there is greater buyer interest in the district’s property market, Mr Hole says.

While building consent figures indicate more commercial building activity last year, latest figures indicate that much of the growth in 2016 is in new residential dwellings. This is likely to reflect increased activity in Tekapo and Twizel as new sections are being built on. Further stages in major subdivisions such as Lochinver and The Cairns in Tekapo have also been completed this year.

All this growth means that Council building officials are busier than usual as projects consented in the past two years near completion. With the positive growth also comes a greater focus on factors such as traffic and parking and the need to ensure that the appropriate infrastructure and services are in place.

“The Council is working hard to plan carefully for this growth and make sure we have the right balance of services to meet the needs of people living or visiting here,” says Mr Hole.

ENDS

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