Subdivision applications can often be more complicated than you think. The first thing to do is engage one of our team to help you determine if you have enough land and a suitable building area. Then you need to consider if there are any ecological areas, vegetation or culturally significant factors that may affect your development. You may want to arrange a feasibility report from us to come up with some realistic possibilities, or you might have an architect that you want to work with and come to us with some plans to see what you could go ahead with, and what might need to be tweaked to get this through the council processes. Alternatively, you might have another type of consultant, an engineer, an ecologist, a surveyor that you know and trust that has referred you to us or have recommended you find a planner to assist. These options are all good places to start, and whether you have some of the consultant team you want, or you are just starting out right at the beginning of the process, we can help.
If your proposal results in non-compliance with the Auckland Unitary Plan: OP Standards, it is important to determine the activity status of the resource consent application. The status of the resource consent will determine the way in which Auckland Council will assess the application. Sections 77A and 87A describe the different types of activities that may be included in plans. These are: • permitted activities • controlled activities • restricted discretionary activities • discretionary activities • non-complying activities • prohibited activities. When you want to do something not permitted within the rules and regulations of the zone that your site is within, this is a restricted activity. A resource consent can allow you to complete a restricted activity to develop your property, but not a prohibited one. Whilst some projects are permitted and do not require resource consent, most larger projects and even many smaller additions & alterations will require you to do some restricted activity, and this will require a resource consent. If you are just starting out thinking about developing your property, we can arrange a site feasibility report for a small fee that shows exactly what is possible on your site under the current council plans, both with and without resource consent. If you are a little bit further through the process, you can flick us through any plans you may have, and we are happy to let you know if a Resource Consent would be required for any given project.
This depends on the zone of your site and the nature of the business you would like to run.
Generally, additions and alterations do not need resource consent however, there are 2 key things that can impact this – building height and building coverage. Acceptable building coverage depends on the zone your property is in – for example the mixed housing suburban zone has a maximum building coverage of 40 per cent of the net site area, vs the mixed housing urban zone which raises this to 45 per cent, and the THAB zone has a maximum of 50 per cent. You can find the specifics for your zone in the Auckland Unitary Plan on the Council Website. If you do break one of these, then you will need Resource Consent. You also generally need resource consent if the work is likely to impact any neighbouring structures, is less than 1m from the boundary of your site, or if you are in a special character area/special ecological area.
You may be able to get an exemption to avoid a Resource Consent for a sleepout, carport or shed on your site. There are a few key features that make it likely that you will qualify for an exemption – your proposed development must be a single story, it cannot exceed 30 square meters in size, and there are restrictions on how much of the total land area can be covered in buildings on any property. The easiest way to figure out if you qualify for an exemption or not is through the Council directly – they have a portal for you to check and you can also give them a call. On the other hand - a sleepout will likely require a resource consent as a minor dwelling if it has both a kitchen and bathroom, if it is less than 1m from the boundary of your property, or if its foundations impact any neighbouring structures. If you suspect your sleepout or accessory building may need resource consent – get in touch and we can let you know if it is possible to avoid this or start you on the right path to ensure that the council accepts your proposal.
In terms of the cost, the Council does charge for Resource Consent applications. They have a schedule of fees available on their website. However, often they will charge some additional fees during the process so whilst this gives an indication of the upfront charges, do be aware that this may not be the full picture. In terms of our fees, when you engage us for a project we will always provide a full fee proposal for your consideration before starting work on your job, so you can have peace of mind that the amount is within your budget for the project.
Generally, resource consents expire after 5 years.