Pre-application meetings
The process for getting consent will be easier if you know how the Resource Management Act (RMA) affects your project and what you need to do to have your consent approved.
The last meeting date for the year will be Wednesday the 27th of November, the first date for 2025 will be the 29th of January.
Before making an application for resource consent, careful consideration needs to be given to what an application should contain. Before you apply for Resource Consent, we encourage you to engage professionals where necessary to input into your proposed development/activity. This could be a resource management consultant/planner, architect/draughtsman, transportation engineer(s), geotechnical engineers etc.
You may also need to talk to various Council Teams regarding your proposal i.e. Transportation, Reserves, Infrastructure Services (water, stormwater, wastewater), Development Engineering and/or Building prior to making this request.
The easiest way to engage with Council staff is to phone our Customer Service Team on 0800 926 732. You can ask to speak to someone in the relevant team(s) or email info@westernbay.govt.nz.
If you choose to make an online request for a pre-application meeting, please make sure you provide details about who you have spoken to (and provide copies of any advice you receive). This will assist us in making sure the right people attend your meeting.
The service that we provide
Pre application meetings can be especially helpful for large or complex projects. Discussing your proposal early (before you apply) can help you decide whether or not to go ahead with your proposal or make any changes and can inform your application. To help decide if a pre-application meeting could help you, please first contact our Customer Service Planners as they may be able to answer your questions quickly and easily via phonecall or email. If our Customer Services Planners think that a Pre-application meeting would be beneficial you can request a pre-application meeting by filling out the online request form below.
Using the Pre-application meeting service may result in you saving time and money in the long run by:
- Helping you understand what information Council would expect to receive as part of a resource consent application.
- Clarifying the District Plan rules that are likely to be triggered.
- Identifying any potential issues with your proposal and enabling you to address these issues before you finalise your designs/proposal.
- Reducing the likelihood of you being asked for more information by identifying any other Council approvals that are likely to be required, any key areas to focus on in your application, and identifying if any specialist reports are likely to be required for your application.
- Understanding consent fees and related charges, such as financial contributions.
- Providing an opportunity for you to work with Council to produce good quality outcomes and build relationships.
- It is an opportunity to get feedback on the design of your proposal – this can include feedback from Council’s consent planners, urban design planners, transportation engineers and development engineers.
Please note, Council will NOT provide you with the following at the Pre-application meeting:
- Confirmation of all the information you will need to provide with a resource consent application.
- Confirmation of who may be affected by the proposal.
- Confirmation that your resource consent application will be approved or if needs to be notified.
- The identification of ALL District Plan non-compliances.
Meeting availability
Once you have made an online request for a pre-application meeting, a Customer Service Planner will contact you within 7 working days. You will be advised if your request has been accepted or if further information is required.
Once accepted, your meeting will be scheduled. Please note, time slots for these meetings are limited to 1 meeting a week. During busy periods there may be more than a 3 week wait for a meeting.
The meeting checklist
Prior to requesting a pre-application meeting, please consider whether other parties need to be part of the meeting. Also identify and talk to any other councils that may need to be involved e.g the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
When making your request please provide the following information:
- A description of the proposal (please don’t just state “subdivision of land” for example, try to provide as much detail as possible).
- A site plan (or proposed plan) and any other plans that will assist Council staff in understanding your proposed development/activity
- Site photos and/or aerial photographs.
- Specific questions that you have for Council (not generic such as “can I subdivide my land”).
- Any relevant information and documentation you have obtained from previous consultation with Council(s).
If this information isn’t provided upfront, we may need to request this information which could result in a delay in booking your meeting.
Making a request for a Pre-application meeting
You can request a pre-application meeting by filling out the online request form. Before attending a pre-application meeting you need to read and accept the terms and conditions.
Please provide us with as much information as you can about your proposed development/activity as this will help us ensure the right Council Officers attend your meeting.
