Council celebrates tick as Building Consent Authority
Tuesday 12 August 2008, 6:49PM
By Thames Coromandel District Council
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Improvement to timeframes for building consents was key.
Thames-Coromandel District Council is now officially accredited and registered as a Building Consent Authority following major improvements to the time taken to process building consents.
“It’s been a huge effort by all staff concerned, from building control officers to IT and communications – it’s been a huge collective effort,” says TCDC Building Control Manager Peter Thomas. “Without this accreditation we wouldn’t be able to provide building control services to ratepayers, which include the issuing of Code Compliance Certificates, the processing of building consents and building inspections.”
Mr Thomas says one of the fundamentals in achieving accreditation was to get timeframes for processing building consents down in order to comply with the statutory 20-working days. To assist in this the council introduced an interview system in which anyone lodging a building consent must attend a pre-lodgement interview so staff can ensure applicants have provided the quality information needed in order to avoid delays in processing.
Vetting at the front desk has vastly improved the quality of applications overall and the number of applications that are rejected at the time of the interview has also dropped.
“People are putting more effort into their applications and helping their own process,” said Mr Thomas. “It’s not about inconveniencing anyone, it’s about helping everyone. Last month we processed 99 percent of all building consents within the 20-working day timeframe compared to 60 percent at the beginning of the year before interviews were introduced.
“These standards must be maintained – but it’s been great to see that improvement and hear the overall positive feedback on the process.”
The reforms that required TCDC to become accredited as a Building Consent Authority were brought in by Central Government and affected all local authorities.
All building consents excluding very minor ones require an interview and those living outside the district may need to arrange an agent to attend their interview. Unfortunately there is no way around having to physically attend.
A check sheet must be completed at the time of the interview and anyone struggling with this should consider employing the help of a professional. More on what you need in order to apply is on the council’s website www.tcdc.govt.nz.To book a pre-lodgement interview phone 07 868 0404.