The resource consent process: how can a planning consultant help?

12 April 2024

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Planning consultants bring a wealth of knowledge to development projects, removing the stress of the resource consent process for both clients and professionals.

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What is a planning consultant?

Skilled in efficiently and successfully navigating the resource consent process, planning consultants play an important role in the successful preparation of resource consent applications and the acquisition of subsequent approvals – the starting point in many development projects, and often a necessary step in propelling a concept into reality.

As part of this process, planning consultants such as Feathers Planning work with a team of industry professionals as required for individual projects, ensuring technical reports are tailored to a project’s needs, and undertake all liaison with council staff to ensure you don’t have to.

“We do a lot more than prepare resource consent applications and obtain resource consent approvals,” says Louise Feathers, director at Feathers Planning. Her team also provides due diligence investigation at the pre-purchase stage, scoping for knowing how a property could be developed pre-sale, and project coordination, maintaining communication with council, consent compliance and monitoring, and more.

Just as an architect specialises in their profession, and builders are engaged in the construction of projects, planning consultants specialise in resource consents and navigating the planning processes and are valuable in the success of projects – especially as more legislation is introduced and factors such as national, district and regional rules change or are introduced.

“It’s our job to keep abreast of all those things. When we come to put together an application, we know what the legislation requires and what the councils expect us to cover.”

“We do a lot more than prepare resource consent applications and obtain resource consent approvals,” says Louise Feathers.

Engaging a planning consultant for your next project

Developing a strategy for resource consenting at the outset is important for large-scale projects.

“Key questions that need to be asked right at the outset include, how are we going to attack a tricky resource consent application and how do we increase the certainty that resource consent will be approved?” says Feathers.

Due diligence at the pre-purchase stage, or scoping for knowing how a property could be developed for pre-sale, is an important part of the process. Early engagement is key particularly for those larger projects, or projects with neighbours or stakeholders involved.

“Two of the most frequent questions I get asked are, how long is it going to take and how much is it going to cost? If they can come to us early, we can help them with their strategy and make sure their timeframe is locked into the overall project timeframe. Time is certainly money and my goal is always to streamline the process for my clients and to ensure that there are no surprises.”

Feathers Planning works with clients on commercial projects, such as Hamilton’s prestige office and retail development, Union Square.

Developing a strategy for resource consenting at the outset is important for large-scale projects.

Project coordination, consent compliance and monitoring

Feathers Planning works with a team of experts required for the resource consent application, such as acoustic engineers, civil engineers, soil contamination specialists and soil class specialists – as a project coordinator, they pull from a database of trusted and professional colleagues that collaborate on a project when their specialties are needed.

“We have established great relationships with these professionals; much like a builder pulls in his trades, we do the same for experts needed for the resource consent process,” says Feathers.

“Project coordination and consent compliance and monitoring is often left to the architect or client, but it’s key that the right brief or scope is provided to the professional, and the right expert is chosen for the job. We review their plans and reports to make sure that they suitably support the resource consent application and provide us the information needed.”

After ensuring projects keep moving through the resource consent process at the council, Feathers Planning makes sure the resource consent conditions are fair, reasonable and practical at the draft consent stage. “This makes a substantial difference when consent holders are trying to comply with conditions.”

Feathers Planning has obtained a number of resource consents for Stark Properties for the rebirth of Riverbanks. Resource consents were procured for Riverbank Lane, the Mezz box and the rooftop extension.

Once a project’s resource consent has been issued, it is also valuable to continue working with a planning consultant to ensure that the resource consent conditions are complied with as the development progresses.

“No one wants the council on their case throughout the development process, nor to complete a project for the council to tell them you haven’t done something and need to fix it,” says Feathers. “We ensure that conditions are ticked off in the right order and get the paperwork from council to confirm conditions are complied with.”

Working with Feathers Planning for successful project outcomes

“With a focus on expert preparation of resource consent applications and the acquisition of resource consent approval, our goal is to ensure your application is a success in a timely and cost-effective manner,” says Feathers.

“Resource consents are the link between the conceptual stage of a project and the physical, benefit-generating reality. It is that legal document that can increase the value and marketability of your project/property, that will let you start building your dream home, or enable you to get your business up and running.”

From residential projects to educational centres, commercial projects and business developments, Feathers Planning can successfully take your next project from concept to reality.

Get in touch to learn more, and explore the projects on ArchiPro that Feathers Planning has helped to bring to life.