Ōrākei Local Board wants to have more input into whether resource consent applications are notified.
“As the portfolio head for regulatory, planning and bylaw matters, I am called on for representative comment on some types of application,” says local board member Troy Churton.
“But the ultimate decision rests with processing planners.” A recent example of the need for local board involvement in the resource consent process was a proposal to demolish a character home on Seaview Road in Remuera, which was not notified.
Neighbours successfully sought a judicial review of the decision not to notify. Applications to demolish buildings built before 1944 are often processed on a non-notified basis despite the board’s view in some cases being that the applications should be notified.
“In the Seaview Road case, I recommended that the strong street character and heritage in the area warranted the council exercising its discretion to notify the application to demolish,” Troy Churton says.
