We’ve made some changes to improve our consenting processes and make it easier for people who want to build or develop land in the Waikato district.
The purpose of these changes is to improve our customers’ experience by making our District Plans easier to access and read, our consenting related applications easier to use online, creating greater clarity in our processes, and improving our communication throughout the application cycle.
The changes and what they mean for you
Online Waters Capacity Assessment Application – A new application is available to check if there is sufficient water, wastewater, and stormwater capacity for your development plans
You can now find out up front, before you submit your building consent application, if the existing waters infrastructure in your area will support your plans by using our new Waters Capacity Assessment application form. This means you can identify any water infrastructure constraints early – and therefore removes the risk of applying, spending money on your consent, and then getting declined because we don’t have capacity to appropriately service your development.
Last month, Council confirmed changes to its District Plan, to enable more housing. Under the new rules (known as Variation 3) properties in Ngaaruawaahia, Huntly, Tuakau, Pookeno, and parts of Horotiu will be able to accommodate up to three homes, each up to three stories high, on land zoned for general or medium-density residential use. You will no longer need to apply for a resource consent but developments must meet specific standards, to ensure quality design outcomes that enhance the character of our communities.
Our District Plans are online – making them easier to access and read
You can access our District Plans on our new online platform rather than having to look at separate website pages, or by having to open different PDF documents.
- District Plans and Previous District Plans:
Our District Plans are now available online. Moving the plans to one space makes it easier for you to find information and makes it simpler for you to search and download documents. - District Plan Property Enquiry - Finding maps, zones, and rules that relate to your property:
You’ll be able to find the maps, zoning details and District Plan rules that are specific to a property, using our District Plan Property Enquiry. This search function will allow you to see all the information in relation to a property address, as well as the ability to access more detailed maps and rules. - Knowing what activity is allowed for your property – available in December 2024:
You will be able to filter the District Plan Property Enquiry search by the type of activity for a specific property. This will help you understand what activity is permitted on your property. We are launching with 10 activities this year; more will become available during 2025. This will save you time when you are preparing your application.
Stream-lining the application process for vehicle entranceways
If you’re adding or altering a vehicle entranceway for your property or development, you need to make an application first. Our new online application process makes it simpler to complete, submit and pay online for your vehicle entranceway application.
You’ll be guided through the application process and will receive prompts about the details, photos, and plans that you need to supply in support of your application. We believe that this new guided application process will help you to provide the information needed first time rather than requiring several interactions with Council, which we understand can cause frustration. You will now be able to pay online via Council’s online payment portal, which will support quick processing of your application.
You’ll be able to save your application as a draft, to complete later. You will receive regular email updates throughout the process, and soon you’ll be able to track your application on our website.
- Please note there is an increase in fees. In addition to the $300 entranceway application fee there is now a cost of $250 for corridor access. This change will make our process consistent with other councils who charge a corridor access fee.
New online Development Contributions Estimator Tool – available in December 2024
The Development Contributions Estimator is an online calculator that can help you understand the potential cost of the development contributions associated with your proposal.
This calculator will allow you to look at different variations of your development proposal to understand what the contributions for each option could look like.
We are focused on making things easier for you
We are working on further improvement changes to our building and consenting processes and look forward to sharing these with you in early 2025.
