Timaru District Council is making some changes to how it delivers building inspections to better serve booming demand.

The construction industry has seen a significant increase in the amount of building work across the whole country recently, including in the Timaru District, and the current method of scheduling appointments was at risk of introducing delays.

From the 1 August 2021 building inspections will be carried out in a more scheduled manner, offering a higher level of certainty for the industry.

The service days for inspections will be:

Timaru Urban

• This area will continue to have three officers inspecting five days a week

• On Tuesdays and Thursdays there will be an additional two officers performing inspections

• A full range of inspections types can be performed on any day

Temuka, Geraldine and rural areas north of Opihi River 

• These areas will have two officers performing inspections on Monday, Wednesday and Friday only.

• A full range of inspections types can be performed on these days.

Pleasant Point and rural areas south of Opihi River 

• These areas will have officers performing inspections on Tuesdays and Thursdays, only.

• A full range of inspections types can be performed on these days.

Council Building Control Manager Jayson Ellis said that the increasing workload had increased the pressure on council to maintain its preferred levels of service.

“However, the demand is inconsistent throughout the District,” he said.

“Some areas are experiencing significantly more growth and for others the growth trends are more consistent.

“Since January, we granted 503 consents and these took an average 23 calendar days to process from receiving the application to approval, with an average of roughly six to eight inspections per consent.

“We are conscious that we need to reduce the wait times for inspections and to facilitate and enable the growth in areas with the highest need.

“These changes are intended to meet both of those aims. We will be continuously monitoring changes to work patterns and resourcing needs to ensure we have an efficient service and are able to meet the expectations of the local industry.”

© Scoop Media