Building consent applications to move online
The people who most often apply for building consents are helping the Palmerston North City Council figure out how to take the process online and make it faster, simpler and cheaper.
An industry liaison group has been formed to advise the council, chaired by Presidential Homes manager Shane Mceldowney.
The business builds prefabricated houses at its factory in Jasper Pl, which are transported through the lower North Island, making it a frequent user of the council’s building consent services.
‘‘We apply for dozens of consents each year ... and we have a number of houses on the go at any one time,’’ he said.
‘‘We are working to tight timeframes for delivery, so anything we can do to speed the process up is good for us and good for the whole industry.’’
He said applying for consents online would mean less paperwork and make it simpler and faster to arrange site inspections by building officers.
Council customer services general manager Peter Eathorne said local firm Alpha One was working on the implementation of an electronic system, expected to be rolled out in June.
Working online would make current charges for printing and scanning redundant.
Eathorne estimated there would be savings of up to $548 for new commercial building applications, and $273 for commercial alterations or additions.
For residential consents, the savings for a new house would be up to $191, and up to $98 for alterations and additions. The cost of applying for minor work, like installing a freestanding fireplace, would not come down.
Eathorne said for people who were not able to lodge consents online from their home or office, a customer hub would be set up at the council building’s service centre.
People could continue to lodge consents manually, but the costs would go up.
He said moving online was a big shift in the way the council worked and would support its commitment to better customer services.