Revised Charges Lakes Environmental

A fee change that would give the community more certainty about the cost of resource consent applications will be considered by the Queenstown Lakes District Council tomorrow (Friday), QLDC regulatory and corporate general manager Roger Taylor said.

“Council is proposing that the fees for the majority of resource consent applications are changed to a guaranteed (fixed) price so that applicants have certainty about the costs they will incur,” Mr Taylor said.

Feedback over the last 12 months had identified that cost uncertainty was a problem for applicants.

“At present applicants make a deposit to cover costs and then pay any additional charges. What Lakes Environmental has found is, having researched costs, that it can offer a guaranteed price,” he said.

This could be done while still meeting Lakes Environmental’s goals to deliver ‘user pays’ services on a not for profit or loss basis.

“The only exception will be notified and subdivision consents, which can have a number of variables but 95% of consents are non-notified,” Mr Taylor said.

If the Council adopts the proposal it will go out for public consultation.

“The proposed fees and charges are contained in the Council agenda item and are therefore available now on our website but will be given more prominence from next week if the proposal is adopted,” Mr Taylor said.

Pending adoption a copy of the proposal would also be available from Council offices, libraries from Monday, with submissions closing 10 October 2012.