What is a resource consent
A resource consent is the formal approval Nelson City Council gives for an activity that might affect the environment and isn't allowed in the Nelson Resource Management Plan or the Nelson Air Quality Plan. There are five types of resource consents:
- land use consent for the use of land
- subdivision consent for subdividing land
- water permit for the taking of water
- discharge permit for the discharge of contaminants in water, soil or air
- coastal permit for the use or occupation of coastal space
Four key documents
It's crucial to remember that when you are planning an activity that might affect the environment, you must consult the Resource Management Act 1991 and the Building Act 2004 to know if your activity complies with the rules or not. In addition, the regulations that are specific to our own Nelson community are spelled out in the Nelson Resource Management Plan (NRMP) and the Nelson Air Quality Plan. These four key documents will help you determine if you need a resource consent.
- More information on the Resource Management Act 1991
- More information on the Building Act 2004
- More information on the Nelson Resource Management Plan
- More information on the Nelson Air Quality Plan
How to know if I need a resource consent
The Nelson Resource Management Plan and the Nelson Air Quality Plan set out the activities that require a resource consent and those that are permitted to occur without one. Activities that need a resource consent are classified as controlled, restricted discretionary, discretionary, or non-complying.The Council has to grant resource consents for controlled activities (with a couple of exceptions) but can refuse to grant resource consent for restricted discretionary, discretionary, or non-complying consents.
Prohibited activites are expressly not allowed and you cannot apply for a resource consent for them.
Talk to the staff:
Customer Service Staff
They will handle your initial queries and provide you with initial guidance and information, they can also help with ordering a property file, and they can book you an appointment with the Duty Building Officer or Duty Planner if you need more detailed advice.
Pop into the Council’s Customer Service Centre, phone 546-0200 or email customer.service@ncc.govt.nz.
Building Staff
Building consents staff, including the duty building officer, can discuss specific queries about applying for a Building Consent, the Building Act, the Building Code, Certificates of Acceptance, Exemptions, BWOF and other building consent requirements.
Council offers a service where prior to making an application you can have one free 30 minute Duty Building appointment for basic or general guidance for simple matters or projects. This includes a meeting (20 minutes) and time for research and replying. If you need more than one meeting, future meetings may be charged.
Bookings must be made. Bookings are made through the Customer Service Staff. You can request either a phone call, email reply or face-to-face meeting at the NCC office. The more specific information or design questions you bring to the meeting the more specific the advice given can be.
Early discussions with Council staff can help provide you with an understanding of the information required to be submitted with your application. Lodging a complete application will result in a more efficient process.
Resource Consent Staff.
Resource Consent staff, including the Duty Planner, can discuss specific queries about the Resource Management Act, the Nelson Resource Management Plan (NRMP) the Nelson Air Quality Plan and resource consent requirements. They will process your application for a resource consent.
Council offers a service where prior to making an application you can have one free 30 minute Duty Planning appointment for basic or general guidance for simple matters or projects. This includes a meeting (20 minutes) and time for research and replying. If you need more than one meeting future meetings may be charged.
Bookings must be made. Bookings are made through the Customer Service Staff or via email duty.planner@ncc.govt.nz. You can request either a phone call, email reply or face-to-face meeting at the NCC office. The more specific information or questions you have ready the more specific the advice given can be.
Early discussions with Council staff can help provide you with an understanding of the information required to be submitted with your application. Lodging a complete application will result in a more efficient process.
Note: Building and Planning are separate areas with different requirements for applications. Separate appointments will be necessary if you require input from both.
These services are for general guidance only, they are not intended to evaluate the particular merits of the proposal or provide detailed comments on complex matters. For that you will need independent advice.
Experts
For many projects you may need specialist input from one or more experts, such as an architect, designer, planner, engineer, surveyor or geotechnical specialist to help design your project and prepare your building and / or resource consent applications. Some projects might also need other specialist input (eg transport, landscaping, contaminated land, noise, etc).
Council cannot recommend consultants.
Resource Consent Staff - Pre Applications.
A formal pre-application service is available for projects of a larger scale or where greater insight is needed into specific planning, infrastructure, transport or servicing matters that will be relevant for processing a particular proposal.
This service also has the first 30 minutes free and thereafter is charged on a time/cost basis (including staff time, administration, meeting time and site visits). As a charged service the customer may wish to undertake discussions only about specific elements of their proposal and a response can be tailored in this regard.
A pre application form must be completed and submitted a minimum of 10 working days prior to a requested meeting, to allow time for circulation to and preview of pre-application material by relevant specialist staff. The pre application should include provision of drawings and details. Pre-application information is treated as confidential. The actual meeting timing will vary depending on the scale and complexity of the project and staff availability. Following the meeting written minutes can be provided.
Where the application involves the creation of increased housing density within the urban area, it may be eligible for some free time from the Principal Development Adviser. This will be determined by the Principal Development Adviser upon receipt of application or by their prior agreement. Other staff time is chargeable.
Complete this form (101KB PDF) and send it to council, or contact resource consents staff at resource.consentsadmin@ncc.govt.nz
Resource Consents – Concept Development Team Pre Applications.
Where a project is of sufficient scale or importance, it may qualify for the Concept Development Team pre-application service where input from the Principal Development Adviser and/or other council staff is free. Project suitability for this service will be determined by the Principal Development Officer upon receipt of the pre-application or by their prior agreement.
More information about what may qualify for this service and the associated process involved can be found here
Urban Design Panel.
Where a project is of sufficient scale or importance, a review by the Urban Design Panel may be useful. They are independent experts who can provide advice and recommendations on achieving good urban design outcomes for projects.
Developers are recommended to seek advice from the Panel well before applying for resource consent or finalising the design. Please contact the Council’s City Developments Team at citydevelopment@ncc.govt.nz to discuss.
More details about the Urban Design Panel can be found here