The Council’s Duty Planner Service helps people who are applying for a resource consent to understand how the Resource Management Act’s requirements may apply to the project they are planning.

Gina Ferguson, Manager, Consents and Compliance says the service is popular and has been difficult to sustain over recent times.

“Given the effects of COVID-19, we have decided to refresh the service by streamlining it and improving its online request process. We have also increased its staff resourcing to help support Marlborough’s economic recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“The Council received 80 resource consent applications over the last four weeks, which is about 40% up on our numbers for the previous month,” Gina says.

“Many people in Marlborough are pushing ahead with their projects and it appears the lockdown has provided the time for them to submit their plans to us.”

“In an effort to support the return to ‘business as usual’ for our community, we are prioritising responding to requests received from 28 April 2020 onwards. We had to suspend the Duty Planner Service for a couple of weeks during the Level 4 lockdown, so for anyone who submitted a Duty Planner request before 28 April 2020, unfortunately this means a delayed response time.”

“Please either re-send your original email to us or go to our website and use the new form and process that is explained there.”

Go to: https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/services/resource-consents/duty-planner-service-information

© Scoop Media