Preparing a Resource Consent Application
The first step is to identify the type of resource consent your planned activity requires, which is based on the rules that are triggered by your proposal. The non-compliances you need consent for may affect the form you need to submit, the topics you need to cover in your proposal, the documents you need to include and whether you need professional help as part of the application.
In our Information Portal, you can check the Huttview Maps Viewer to find the relevant zones and overlays, view a copy of the operative District Plan, and find the necessary forms to submit.
If you are unsure, you can engage professional services like a planning, surveyor, or design agency to handle your application. You can also contact the Resource Consents team for advice, but we are unable to prepare your application for you.
We offer a pre-application meeting service, which is a consultation with a Council planner who can provide detailed advice and assessment of your application. You can find more information on pre-applications here.
Your application must include at least the following:
- RMA FORM 9 - Applicant and invoicing details, particularly the name, contact information and an address.
- A cover letter detailing the proposed activity.
- An Assessment of Environment Effects which includes a list of District Plan rules that you don’t comply with, the effects of the non-compliances, and how you plan to mitigate the impacts.
- A Certificate of Title no more than 6 months old, if one exists for the property.
- Any plans or drawings of your proposal. If you are lodging a subdivision application, you will need professionally prepared scheme and topographical plans.
- Any relevant email communication from Council staff or other organisations like Wellington Water.
- Completed Written Approval forms from affected parties, if relevant.
You may also need to supply additional information depending on your proposal, such as a geotechnical report for significant earthworks, or a traffic assessment for high trip generators. For the full detail of every document required under legislation, you can consult Schedule 4 of the Resource Management Act 1991.
Once you have prepared an application with all the necessary documents, you (or your agent) can submit the application to Council.
You can apply online through our Application Portal.
You may also email us at resource.consents@huttcity.govt.nz, or if you have physical documents, bring them to the Council building at 30 Laings Road.
Note: When applying for final certification for subdivision (223c and 224c) you’ll need to have Java installed to upload the folders and their contents.
Tips to make applying easier:
- Avoid submitting a single file that combines all the documents.
- For plans and images, we recommend the high resolution standard of 300dpi. If possible, avoid excessively large files or images.
- Clearly label each file that is uploaded, e.g. Application Form, Assessment of Environmental Effects, Architectural Plans.
- Ensure that the files aren’t locked or password protected.
Our fees for resource consent applications are divided into two main stages. Each part will be invoiced separately.
Application Deposit Invoice
The application deposit invoice is issued when your application has been entered into our system and prepared for processing.
You will be emailed an invoice with an RM number and instructions on payment. No work will take place until the invoice has been paid, upon which it will be assigned to a planner and the statutory clock will begin. Once payment has been made, we have 20 working days to issue a decision.
If you are reapplying due to an earlier application being rejected or withdrawn, you may request a deposit transfer. The deposit assigned to the former application will be moved to your new application, which will immediately start the statutory clock and flag your new consent for processing. Transferred deposits will deduct the cost of the time spent on the previous application before it was rejected or withdrawn. You will be invoiced the difference, but you can choose to wait until the Processing Invoice to pay.
You can pay for your resource consent application fees in the following ways:
- with credit card or EFTPOS online
- internet banking:
- Account Name: Hutt City Council
- Account No: 03-0531-0429500-04
- Quote the invoice number (INV______)
- in person using cash, credit card or EFTPOS at our main building, 30 Laings Road.
Additional Fees Occurred During Processing
Additional fees may be charged during and after processing. These may include:
- On-charged consultant, advisor and specialist fees covering a range of expertise such as heritage, geotechnical, ecological, noise control, traffic management, etc.
- Costs related to public notification and hearings, such as venue hire, photocopying, catering and postage.
- Monitoring fees while the work is underway, including site visits, research, photos, communications and administration.
- For subdivisions, engineering fees and development and reserve contributions may be charged when you apply for final certification (Section 223&224c)
Processing Invoice
The Processing Invoice will be billed after the resource consent application has finished processing and a decision is granted. This invoice calculates whether any refunds for unspent processing time or further charges for additional services or processing hours are due. In addition, the Processing Invoice contains a breakdown on how the processing hours were spent on your application.
Note that consents that run over statutory timeframes will be discounted in accordance with provisions in Section 36AA of the Resource Management Act.