Bouquet for Council planning team

28 April 2014A survey of councils nationwide indicates that Waipa District Council's planning team performs above the national average across a range of measures.

Results from the latest Resource Management Act survey from the Ministry for the Environment compares findings from 78 councils. Councils which process similar numbers of resource consents were grouped together for easy comparison.

Planning and regulatory manager Wayne Allan said overall, the Waipa consent planning team performed exceptionally well.

There's always room for improvement and we've identified a number of areas to focus on going forward. But in most categories, Waipa's planning and consenting team performed above the national average, he said.

Waipa did particularly well in the pre-application process which assesses whether or not applicants are provided with clear direction prior to a consent being lodged. Waipa has adopted a case-management approach to pre-applications which more councils are now aiming for.

Waipa also scored well in its approach to identifying and assessing environmental effects and in terms of Maori participation. The Council does considerable work to involve tangata whenua in consent decisions, including having formal joint management agreements, an iwi consultative group, a dedicated staff resource for iwi liaison and ensuring iwi provide any relevant feedback on resource consent applications.

In the survey period (July 1 2012 to June 30 2013), Waipa District Council staff processed 370 resource consents and 51 variation applications. Of those consents, 192 related to land use and 178 involved subdivisions. Waipa planners requested further information for just 25 per cent of all resource consents processed; lower than the 32 per cent figure recorded nationally.

This lower figure probably reflects the fact that we put in time up front to help the applicant understand what's needed. That saves time and expense for everyone down the track and streamlines the whole process.

Of all the resource consents processed by Waipa District Council, 99.8 per cent were completed within statutory timeframes; better than the 97 per cent recorded nationally.

ENDS

Media enquiries only: Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of Council) 027 5077 599