Fees & Charges - Planning

Horowhenua District Council's Planning fees and charges for the financial year 1 July 2011 - 30 June 2012 are provided below. 

Please note that all fees and charges are stated as GST inclusive but are subject to any increase in GST.  Council reserves the right to review any fees and charges at any time.  Please contact 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 or Local Government Act as listed below.  The fixed charge is a deposit paid up front to enable Council staff to commence the process, actual charges are billed in accordance with time spent by staff on processing the application together with other associated costs.

Any work on applications will only commence on payment of the relevant fixed charge.

Council will, upon request by any person liable to pay the fixed charge (deposit) provide an estimate of any additional charges likely to be imposed over and above the fixed charge for processing of any particular application.

Where applications trigger Development Contributions payments after granting Consent, the relevant invoice will be sent out separately at the appropriate time.  Council’s policy on Development Contributions and the current amounts charged may be viewed on our Development Contributions page.  Please note that any Development Contributions payments are additional to the Consent processing fees.

 
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). Objections shall be heard by the Hearings Committee.

Notes to Fee Schedule:

1. Minor land use consent is defined as any non-notified land use application for an activity in a residential zone is a controlled activity or, which does not comply with a standard specified in the District Plan or is a controlled activity in the Rural zone and for which (in all cases) the applicant supplies sufficient evidence of consultation with potentially affected persons if applicable.
   A minor subdivision is a controlled activity subdivision for up to 1 additional lot including a boundary adjustment and not needing land use consent.
   An other ‘landuse’ or ‘subdivision’ application is any application other than a minor application as defined above, made under sections 9 and/or 11 of the RMA.
2. Where the Council, in its own discretion, adopts a private plan change no further fee above the fixed charge shall be due.
3. Based on a Chair at $85/hr + 2 councillors at $68/hr –average hearing 6 hours. Plus admin assistant 6hrs at $80/hr and technical advisor 6hrs @ $145/hr. Additional charge to include total Councillors costs.
4. Commissioners’ costs shall not exceed the equivalent cumulative cost as if a quorum of the Hearing Committee had heard the application. It includes time in pre-hearings, site visits, deliberations and costs for the drafting of the decision. Commissioner charges in the case of hearings where Council has vested interests are justified on the basis that the applicant is not entitled to a free hearing, but should not have to pay more than would have occurred otherwise. Specialist costs shall include consultants as appointed by the Council and the costs of legal advice, provided that in the latter instance such costs may be waived in whole or in part at the discretion of the Environmental Services Manager and/or Chief Executive.
5. The Council will charge a fixed lodgement fee for objections lodged under section 357 of the Resource Management Act. There will be no hearing fee although additional charges will be tracked. Where the decision is to uphold the objection in full the fixed lodgement fee will be refunded in full and there will be no additional charges. Where the objection is dismissed or partially upheld then the lodgement fee shall not be contestable and additional charges shall be split equitably where a partial decision is reached according to the opinion of the Chief Executive.

Policy

The Horowhenua District Council will utilize the following as policy in the recovery of costs under the Resource Management Act.

1. The Council, in accordance with its Revenue and Finance policy, will recover 80 - 90% of actual and reasonable costs associated with the consent processing function under the RMA as defined by a scale of fees and charges approved in the required manner.
2. Costs will be recovered through the application of ‘fixed’ and ‘additional’ charges to be applied in accordance with a scale of charges. That scale will define both ‘fixed’ charges (a deposit) and ‘additional’ charges as determined in respect of each type of application defined in the scale. Where the costs of any application are less or greater than the fixed charge by more than one hour's value the Council will refund or invoice the applicant respectively by an amount equivalent to the difference between the final amount and the fixed charge.
3. Fixed charges are refundable where the fixed charges received total less than the actual cost of the activity subject to point 2 above.
4. Where requested, an estimate of additional charges will be given as required under the Resource Management Act.
5. The Council will not commence (or continue if applicable) processing of any application without the pre-payment of any fixed charge.
6. Costs against each application will be recorded for ‘actual’ and ‘additional’ charges and a final account will be drawn up in accordance with the procedures set out below.
7. A minimum charge equivalent to one hour's time shall be accrued in respect of any application. This charge shall not be refundable.
8. Where additional charges are incurred and are not met, the Council will administer the debt in accordance with normal practice. This may include the use of a debt recovery service.
9. Where any application is heard by an independent Commissioner at the request of the applicant, the applicant shall bear the full costs of that Commissioner.
10. Objections to additional charges will be heard by the Hearing Committee where not resolved by officers under delegated authority to remit such charges.
11. Administrative charges are payable regardless of the outcome of the application.
12. Where an application is for both subdivision and land-use consent the subdivision ‘fixed’ fee shall apply.