Receipting the application

The first 2 steps at Environment Canterbury are the submitting and receipting of your application. When our database shows that your application has been submitted, this simply means that it has been received into the Environment Canterbury offices. Your application will then be checked to ensure that you have supplied enough information for it to be processed. If we identify deficiencies in your application, you may be contacted by phone or mail and asked to supply the outstanding information or payment. If the deficiencies are substantial, your application will be returned to you and you will need to re-submit it. We are unable to formally receipt and begin processing your application until this information is received.

If your application can proceed, details of your proposal will be sent to your local authority, Runanga, and any relevant government departments who may need to comment on your proposed activity.  Your information will be entered on our database and you will be sent a letter confirming receipt.

Please note that your application becomes public information once it has been sent to the council, so ensure that the council is aware of any commercially sensitive information.

Initial investigations

Once your application has been lodged, it will be passed to the relevant processing team; specifically trained to deal with your type of resource consent.  Your application will be allocated to an Investigating Officer who will review the technical aspects and, at this stage, your application may be returned to you if the Investigating Officer finds it is deficient.  The Investigating Officer has up to 5 working days to make this determination, although this time may be doubled.  It is important that you have provided as much clear information as possible, to ensure your application is processed efficiently. If your application is complete and passes the initial assessment, it will be processed accordingly.   You should note that your application may be delayed if:

• You do not supply all the information that the council needs to assess your application
• You need other consents for the activity and the council decides to consider all the applications as a single package
• The activity is large and complex
• There is disagreement regarding the conditions for the consent.

Notification or non-notification

The council may decide to notify your consent, and this will be decided within 10 working days of receipting your application, although the RMA allows us to double these timeframes if necessary.  If this happens, the Investigating Officer will let you know.  You can obtain a booklet which provides you with additional information on this process, and explains the difference between limited and public notification.  Applications are usually not notified if the effects of the activity on the environment will be minor, and all affected parties have provided their written approval.

Draft conditions

If you have not agreed to standard conditions, as supplied with application forms for some activities, the Investigating Officer will send you draft conditions for your resource consent.  You should check these thoroughly.  Remember that these are the conditions you must comply with once the resource consent document has been issued.  You should return the signed draft conditions to the Investigating Officer promptly, ensuring you supply any additional comments you need to be considered.

Final decision

When the final decision is made, you will receive a letter telling you whether your application has been granted or refused.  If your application was not notified, you should receive your decision document straight away with the letter.  If your application was notified, there will be a delay of 15 working days to allow for appeals.  There is additional information available on this website, outlining what to do if you disagree with the decision, what your resource consent means, any further charges that may be involved, and how you can request possible changes to the consent.

Withdrawing your application

You can withdraw your application at any time.  If an Investigating Officer has already started processing your proposal you will not have your full deposit returned and, in a few cases, you may have to pay additional costs.  In some situations, the Council may recommend that you withdraw your application, particularly if the Investigating Officer identifies that the application is for a Permitted Activity – an activity for which a District or Regional Plan does not require you to obtain a resource consent.  In these cases, you may want to obtain a certificate of compliance from Environment Canterbury to provide you with official permission to undertake your activity.

Changing applicant

If you sell your property while your application is being processed, you may agree with the new owner that they will continue with the application.  You must submit a form to Environment Canterbury signed by both parties and agreeing that you will pay for any charges up to the date of the change.  The new applicant will be required to pay a new deposit and any further charges incurred. 

How long will it take?

There are timeframes provided within the RMA.  The council is committed to processing applications as effectively as possible, and should be able to make a decision regarding non-notified applications within one month, and notified applications within 4 months.

It is also important to note that the quality of the application often has a direct impact on how long it takes to process. Remember to lodge a complete application at the start; it will save you time.

There is a facility to look up your individual application and find out which stage of the investigation process has been reached. If you require further information, please call Customer Services.