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Last modified: 04 Dec 2020 1:31pm

A Council staff member in a high-viz jacket shows a man and woman something on a tablet as they look round a building site

The Council is encouraging people to be patient and plan ahead as it continues to receive record levels of building consent and Land Information Memorandum (LIM) applications.

The volume and complexity of building consent and LIM applications mean that the Council is taking longer than usual to process applications.

People should plan ahead and allow extra time for LIMs and building consents, including Code of Compliance Certificates—particularly at this time of year when the Council typically experiences high demand for building consents, Council Building Manager Vanessa Mitchell says

“Our staff are putting in huge hours and we’re working with other councils and the industry to get additional support, but we do need people to be patient with us. We’re committed to getting things done as quickly as we can, but we do need people to be aware that if you’ve got a build nearing completion we can’t guarantee we’ll be able to issue your code compliance certificate by Christmas. Especially as we are now seeing supply chain issues impacting the ability for builders to fully complete the work.”

Building consent applications have continued to rapidly increase with 235 consents issued and 1775 inspections completed in November. Following the latest consent numbers, the Council is on track for a record year of up to 2800 building consents and 19,000 inspections, Mrs Mitchell says.

“We are experiencing a 20% increase on building consents over what we have received in the past – even over and above what we had during the height of the earthquake rebuild. The majority of these applications are for new homes which is also a change from previous months.”

Finding suitably qualified and experienced people with the relevant skills and knowledge on building control functions has also been difficult with a shortage of experienced people right across the country, Mrs Mitchell says.

To address the increasing workload, the Council has hired additional staff in recent months and had extra processing and inspecting help from Christchurch City Council, Waimakariri District Council, Napier City Council and contractors.

Applications for LIM reports have also hit record levels, increasing 20% compared to last year. People are advised to allow at least 15 days for a LIM to be processed, due to the increased demand.

Mrs Mitchell says customers can also help the Council manage the workload for building consents efficiently by:

  • loading documents correctly into AlphaOne
  • ensuring sites are ready from 7.30am on the day of inspections - inspections will still be charged if the site is not ready for a booked inspection
  • using AlphaOne to check the status of consents and inspections
  • letting the Council know early if they need help with their application
  • paying for consents when they’re issued, or advising if a project is not going ahead
  • ensuring all required documents are uploaded at least the day before the relevant inspection – this is particularly important for final inspections to streamline the code compliance process.

For more information on building consents and LIMs people can visit our property and building page.