Editorial: Hope in RMA reform

Bob Thorne, developer, says it is unlikely he will do anymore development in Tauranga due to the huge delays and costs created by the current Resource Management Act. Photo / John Borren

I like how regularly this paper is able to bring readers positive news about Tauranga's building industry.

In January, we reported the value of building consents issued last year was $467,631,998 - the highest in seven years and one that returns the city to levels not seen since the GFC struck.

All this is, of course, good news. More building means more jobs and a huge flow-on effect to businesses and related industries. It allows Tauranga, as a city, to prosper and grow, creating more opportunities and bringing in more money.

So I am concerned some developers say red tape and costs are hindering them.

As reported in yesterday's edition, high-profile property developer Bob Thorne is threatening to stop building subdivisions in Tauranga after experiencing what, he says, is too much bureaucracy and delays during his Urban Ridge project two minutes from Bethlehem town centre.

This project includes 300 houses with 60 more to be built by 2017.

He's not alone. Two other developers we spoke to also expressed frustration over zoning and consent bureaucracy, and cost.

The regional council says consent applications under the Resource Management Act have risen from 304 in 2013 to 376 last year. Every one was processed within statutory time frames - which "means delays have been caused by the applicants rather than the council".

The city council says it has a "high success rate" for meeting statutory time frames and, if it is responsible for any delay, the act allows it to discount the consent fees. Some delays, it argues, are outside council control.

There is hope on the horizon. The Government plans to overhaul the Resource Management Act later this year to stop costly delays and bring houses to the market faster. Housing and Building Minister Nick Smith says it takes on average seven years to get a plan change through the RMA, which is "helping nobody but the planners and lawyers".

It is important projects meet planning and consent rules but the system needs to be as efficient as possible. Bureaucracy, hold-ups and costs should be kept to a minimum.

The building industry is important and deserves every help possible. The resource management changes cannot come soon enough.