Consents ‘well overdue’ for substantial fee rise
A post-Covid-19 building boom in the Gore district has led to demand for building control services, and the Gore District Council is proposing to raise consent fees by about 20 per cent across the board.
A report from building control manager Russell Paterson, which is included in the agenda for a full council meeting tomorrow, says operational and staff costs keep increasing and the post-Covid demand for building control services has been ‘‘unprecedented’’.
‘‘The construction activity is at an all-time high and the consent applications are very steady, so much so we still send several applications to an external processing contractor every week in an effort to meet our statutory time frames,’’ Paterson says in the report.
‘‘Additional staff resources are needed to assist during this unprecedented period of construction. Even though we deal mainly in the residential and light commercial projects, the spin-off from the post-Covid government funding schemes has placed a lot of certainty in the marketplace, and financial confidence is extremely high amongst the contractors and customers we deal with. There are no signs this level of activity will taper off for the foreseeable future.’’
The proposal would mean a consent for a freestanding solid fuel heater (fire) would be $390 in Gore for the 2021-22 rating year, compared with a current fee of $338 at the Clutha District Council and $275 at Invercargill City Council, and a proposed fee of $387 with the Southland District Council.
Consent fees for a 310sqm new residence with a value of $690,000 would be $6820, or $22 per square metre in Gore for the 2021-22 year. The 2020 fee for the same building in the Clutha District is $5074, it would cost $7052 at the Invercargill City Council, and would be $4190 with the Southland District Council.
Paterson’s report says building consent applicants should pay fair and reasonable costs for what is essentially a user-pays service.
‘‘The time clock has certainly moved on and a substantial fee increase is well overdue for the financial viability of this department,’’ the report says.
The proposed increases will be discussed at tomorrow’s full council meeting.