Planning - Fees & Charges

Planning Fees & Charges - House planning diagrams spread out.

Horowhenua District Council's fees and charges for the 2023/2024 financial year, adopted by Council on 28 June 2023 as part of the Long Term Plan 2021-2041 Amendment (LTPA) and Annual Plan 2023-2024 (AP), are available below.

All fees are stated as GST inclusive and are effective from 1 July 2023. Council reserves the right to review any fees and charges at any time. Please check with Council for any updates. 

Costs for Resource Consents and Other Applications

Horowhenua District Council charges fees for processing of a wide variety of planning-related applications processed under the Resource Management Act (RMA 1991) or Local Government Act (LGA) 2002 as listed below. Some fees and charges have a fixed fee, and others require a deposit and are then charged on an hourly rate basis which will be invoiced on completion of processing.

Deposit charges are ‘non-refundable’. Consents may incur additional charges relating to processing the application and for any required monitoring inspections.

Work on applications will only commence on payment of the relevant deposit charge or fixed fee. Upon completion of processing an application the Council will invoice for any additional charges for any costs not covered by the initial fixed deposit or fee. The additional charges are set out below with the fixed charges and deposits.

Resource Consent Application Deposits
2023/2024 Fee / Charge
(from 1 July 2023)
Land Use Consent (non-notified) $1,500.00 deposit
Subdivision Consents (non-notified) $1,800.00 deposit
Combined Land Use and Subdivision (non-notified) $2,000.00 deposit
Limited Notification of Land Use or Subdivision (non-notified) $3,000.00 deposit
Public Notification of Land Use or Subdivision Consent $5,000.00 deposit
Fast Track (10 Day) Land Use Consents $3,000 deposit - all fees and
charges are charged at double the
hourly rates outlined below
Other Applications / Certificates
 2023/2024 Fee / Charge
(from 1 July 2023)
Boundary Activities $350.00 deposit
Marginal or Temporary Activities $500.00 deposit
Section 125 Extension of Time $750.00 deposit
Section 127 Application to Change or cancellation of conditions / consent notice $1,000.00 deposit
Section 221 Preparation of Consent Notice
$210.00 fee per s224 application
Section 221 Consent Notice Amendment and / or cancellation $600.00 deposit
Section 223 Approval of Land Transfer Plan $250.00 fee
Section 224(c) or (f) Application - 0 to 3 Lots $500.00 deposit
Section 224(c) or (f) Application - 4 Lots or more  $800.00 deposit
Section 226 Certification to allow a certificate of title to be issued for a separate allotment
$600.00 deposit
Any other application or certificate under the RMA 1991  $300.00 deposit
Road Naming  $500.00 deposit
Section 139 Certificate of Compliance $1,000.00 deposit
Existing Use Certificate $600.00 deposit
Creation of a Right of Way under Section 348 of the Local Government Act 1974 or Section 243 RMA  $500.00 deposit
Cancellation of an easement under Section 243(e) of the RMA 1991  $300.00 deposit
Notice of requirement to designate land - non-notified  $1,500.00 deposit
Notice of requirement to designate land - notified  $3,000.00 deposit
Alteration to designation (non-notified)
$1,000.00 deposit
Outline Plan of works
$1,000.00 deposit
Outline Plan waiver $600.00 deposit
Any other application under provisions of LGA 1974 not repealed $500.00 deposit
Private Plan Change  $10,000.00 deposit
Processing & Monitoring Fees and Hourly Rates
2023/2024 Fee / Charge
(from 1 July 2023)
Resource Management Planner $178.50 per hour
Internal Specialist (eg Development Engineers and Environmental Health Officers) $178.50 per hour
Consent administration fee $168.00 fee
Bond Preparation $300.00 fee per bond document
Bond Refund (excludes permitted activities) $150.00 fee per bond
Streamlined Housing Process Applications Consent processing fees capped at $4,500.00
Digital Capture Levy (applies to hard copy consent applications only) $200.00 fee
Digital Capture Levy (applies to applications received by email only)
$50.00 fee
Land Use Consent Initial Monitoring Fee $168.00 fee
Resource Consent Monitoring $178.50 per hour
Review of and Approval of Monitoring Reports & Other information submitted to satisfy consent conditions
$170.00 per hour
Minor Engineering Approvals
$850.00 deposit
Complex Engineering Approvals $1,700.00 deposit

Notes:

  1. Hourly rates cover all work associated with resource consent processing, internal referrals and peer reviews, site visits, review of documents, monitoring visits/inspections (including hold point inspections), approval of engineering plans, report writing, meeting attendance, communication with applicants and agents, and hearing attendance – and any other work related to an application under the Resource Management Act 1991.
  2. Minor engineering approvals are for specific and less complex work, such as service connections for a development, renewal of public infrastructure pipes to same grade and alignment, isolated rehabilitation of existing pipe or manhole, raising or lowering a public manhole lid and small scale developments and/or up to 3 Lot subdivision.
  3. Complex engineering approvals are for works such as public stormwater, wastewater or water supply extension/system, public road or road widening, relocation of public drainage or water supply system, public stormwater pond or wetland, public stormwater catchpit, soak hole, public swale or raingarden, bulk earthworks and large scale developments and/or 4 or more Lot subdivision. 
  4. Streamlined Housing Process capped fees relates to all work associated with resource consent processing, internal referrals and peer reviews, site visits, review of documents, report writing, meeting attendance, communication with applicants and agents. The capped fee does not include monitoring visits/inspections, engineering plan approvals and 223/224 approvals.
Miscellaneous Fees
 2023/2024 Fee / Charge
(from 1 July 2023)
Pre-application Meeting(s) - all application types and designations Two hours free then $178.50 per
hour, charged against application
when submitted
External Specialist Review of submitted information (either at application or monitoring stage) Cost + 20%
Consultant S42A planning reports
Cost + 20%
Specialist Reports Cost + 20%
Mileage AA rate applicable
Disbursements Cost + 20%
Pre-Hearing meetings Cost + 20%
Hearing Costs / Deposits
 2023/2024 Fee / Charge
(from 1 July 2023)
Council Hearings Committee sitting collectively without an independent commissioner $3,200.00 deposit
Charges based on elected member
hourly rates
Independent commissioners  At cost
Council Hearings Committee sitting with an independent commissioner(s) $3,200.00 deposit
Charges based on elected member
hourly rates plus
independent commissioners' cost
Section 357 Lodgement of Objection & Assessment
$550.00 deposit

Note: Applicants may apply for the remission of any charges, and have the right of objection and appeal to any “Additional” charges incurred (s36(6) of the Resource Management Act 1991).