Building gathers pace

The Palmerston North City Council is receiving record numbers of building applications as demand continues to grow.

The city is experiencing a period of high population growth due to overseas migration numbers, which is increasing building applications.

This is being fuelled by the increase in population as well as strong growth in activity from commercial developments and other non-residential activity.

PNCC general manager for customer services Peter Eathorne said the numbers were expected to increase.

"Our team is doing our best to deal with the high workload. Normally we receive on average between 15 and 20 consents a week.

"It has reached a level in the last two months of between 25 and 40 consents a week. It's a notable increase in workload for staff -- the highest level for several years."

Mr Eathorne also mentioned that there was an issue at present where people were not providing all the relevant information in their application, causing further delays.

About 48 to 74 per cent of applications that the council receives need additional information which is an issue that the council is attempting to fix.

"We are currently working on the introduction of an online processing system to help designers, architects, builders and their staff with their consent applications," Mr Eathorne said. "This will lead to improved efficiency in lodging and processing applications."

He said the increase that was happening at the moment showed the city was starting to grow quite rapidly.

"Developers, builders and businesses can be assured that the council is doing their best to attract capable people to meet this new demand. It is an urgent priority for us."