For planning advice, call us on 06 349 0001 and ask to speak with a duty planner, or visit council customer services at 101 Guyton Street – our duty planners are available on weekdays between 8.30am and 3.00pm.
Whanganui District Council’s Regulatory Planning Team issues resource consents for land use and subdivision.
The Whanganui District Plan sets out resource consent requirements. Land use consents are issued for residential, commercial, industrial and community development. Development may include new buildings, building extensions and alterations, and the change of use of buildings. Depending on the zone in which the property is located, resource consent may be required for signs, fences, vehicle crossings, earthworks, granny flats (annexes), garages, and relocatable buildings.
The Council issues up to 250 resource consents a year. The planning team also monitors resource consents to ensure development complies with consent conditions and investigates and responds to enquiries regarding potential breaches of the District Plan.
Of the resource consent applications the Council receives, 95% are processed without involving neighbouring residents or the general public. These are known as non-notified consent applications. Sometimes the written consent of some neighbours may enable an application to be processed on a non-notified basis. Non-notified consents are usually processed in 20 working days.
Resource consents are charged at cost, with costs determined by the time it takes the team to process the application. Costs are based on hourly rates as set out in the Council’s Consent Fees Schedule.
From 17 July 2024, all new applications for a resource consent, building consent, or service connection will be assessed to see if they need to pay development contributions – fees payable to the council to fund the infrastructure required to support growth such as new roads, pathways, pipes, and parks.
Find out more about development contributions.