Resource consent specialists in Hamilton and the Waikato.

It depends on the District Plan rules for the zone, the activity status, and what you are proposing. Resource consent may be needed when a project does not meet a permitted activity standard, where an additional dwelling is proposed, where earthworks are involved, where there are effects on neighbours, or where an overlay applies to the site. The right way to find out is a desktop check of the site against the District Plan. We can do that in Stage 1 before you spend money on plans.

They are two different approvals. Resource consent is about whether you can do something under the District Plan and the Resource Management Act - the land use, the effects, the zone. Building consent is about whether the building work meets the Building Code. A project can need one, both, or neither. We deal with the resource consent side and can tell you whether one is likely needed.

Common triggers include a proposal that does not meet a permitted activity standard, an additional dwelling on a site, earthworks above what the rules allow as of right, effects on neighbours such as shading, noise or privacy, and sites where an overlay applies. Whether any of these actually triggers consent depends on the specific zone rules and the specific site. We check that against the District Plan in the Stage 1 desktop review.

We help with land use consent, the assessment of environmental effects (AEE) and application preparation, Council request-for-information (RFI) strategy, overlays and effects, the subdivision pathway, and section 127 variations to existing consents. We work through the District Plan, the activity status and the issues, then prepare and manage the application through to a Council decision.

Stage 1 is the desktop scope: District Plan check, activity status, the constraints, and the realistic pathway. Stage 1 baseline is $2,000 + GST. The later stages - the resource consent application itself, the AEE, and managing the file through Council - are quoted after Stage 1 once the scope is known. We do not publish later-stage ranges because pricing depends on the site, the zone, and the pathway.

No planning consultant can guarantee approval. What we can do is tell you, based on the District Plan and the activity status, what the realistic path looks like and where the issues are, before you commit money to plans or an application.

Anything you have on the site and the proposal. The address is the most important thing. After that: any existing resource consent or building consent paperwork, a rough sketch or site plan if you have one, and a short description of what you want to do. None of this is essential for an initial scoping call, but the more you bring, the more specific the advice can be.