What Needs to be Included in an Application?

Your application should include

• Identification of the Consent Type, the consent classification, and the relevant planning rule that requires you to apply
• A detailed description of the activity and associated maps/plans showing its location
• Subdivision consents need a detailed Scheme Plan
• An Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) – to show what you are applying for and its effects and how you are mitigating any effects
• Depending on any Hazards which affect your property, you may also need to include engineering reports from a Suitably Qualified Professional. These reports may include, but are not limited to:
  • Stormwater engineering reports
  • Geotechnical reports
  • Acoustic Engineering reports
• Any Written approvals you may wish to provide (optional)
• Any conditions you may wish to submit for consideration (optional)

Section 88 of the RMA:

S88 of the RMA lists the things that must be included in an application for Council to consider it as ‘complete’ in order to accept it. If it is ‘incomplete’ it will be returned to you within 10 working days and not processed.

Some useful tips here: https://www.planningplus.co.nz/section-88-tips-for...

It must include applicant’s details (and agent if applicable), a description of proposal, site description, and an Assessment of Effects (as per Schedule 4 of the RMA)

Schedule 4 of the RMA: AEE

Schedule 4 of the RMA sets out the information that must be included in all applications. The information and detail required will vary depending on the type of consent applied for and the nature and scale of the activity.

Schedule 4 of the Resource Management Act 1991

The Council has prepared the following guide that explains what information must be included in a straight forward application.

Guide to applying for Resource Consent

The Ministry of Environment website has quite a few useful guides on preparing an AEE.

Check out the Ministry for the Environment website

In some cases you may need multiple consents for a large activity - we recommend and suggest you apply for them all together, so the activities can be assessed together as a package (e.g. you might need a land use consent AND a discharge permit if building a new house in the rural zone with a wastewater system).

Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE)

ALL applications require an Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE). The purpose of the AEE is to determine the likely effects (positive or negative) that the activity will have on the environment, and how any adverse effects can be avoided, remedied, or mitigated.

The size and comprehensiveness of the AEE should be proportional to the potential effects of the proposed activity. It needs to be sufficient to enable the Council to evaluate the potential effects, and for interested and affected parties to identify how they will be affected.

Effects can be positive or negative, short term or long term, cumulative, temporary or permanent, encountered in the past, the present, or the future. Address all the effects that are likely to arise from the proposed activity in as full detail as possible over all applicable timeframes.

What to include in your AEE

• A clear description and explanation of every aspect of the activity
• A clear description of the environment on and around the site of the activity
• A site plan drawn to scale
• An outline of all the effects and risks on the environment that could arise from the activity
• Any alternative locations or measures considered that could lessen the impacts of the activity
• For a discharge of contaminants include a description of the nature of the discharge, the sensitivity of the receiving environment, any possible alternatives.
• Identification of people affected by the proposed activity
• A record of any consultation you've undertaken with possible affected parties
• A discussion of any monitoring of environmental effects that might be required, how it will be carried out and by whom
• Where a customary right might be affected, include a description of possible alternative locals for methods for the activity and consultation with the protected customary rights group.

The rules in the Nelson Resource Management Plan (NRMP) include assessment criteria against which an application is measured. It is therefore very important to identify what effects will be relevant and significant, and those will depend on the nature of the activity, of the site and of the surroundings. (e.g. earthworks on unstable land will need to be more thoroughly assessed than earthworks on flat stable land).

The AEE should address these assessment criteria and demonstrate that the applicant has anticipated all the effects of the proposal and thought about ways to minimise those effects.

There are many different kinds of effects, such as:

• increases in traffic noise and movements, noise from machinery, reduced safety
• soil erosion, silt and dust from land clearance
• blocked views, or loss of view, shading, loss of privacy
• loss of water quality
• odour
• visual impact, general impact on amenity values
• effects from discharges of contaminants into land, air, or water

Depending on any Hazards which affect your property, you may also need to include engineering reports from a Suitably Qualified Professional. These reports may include, but are not limited to:

• Stormwater engineering reports
• Geotechnical reports
• Acoustic Engineering reports

If the application is of a large scale and intensity, the AEE will need to consider a wider range of effects. Large scale proposals often involve the services of an environmental planning consultant or other professional in preparing the AEE. Large projects may also involve extensive social impact assessments, landscape assessments, engineering studies, and cultural reports.