Building boom in Taupo keeps council busy

Taupo is in the grip of a building boom that has busy tradesmen booked up six months ahead.

Sections are being snapped up, council building staff are being swamped by applications and building suppliers are reaping the benefits.

Taupo District Council staff are so overwhelmed by what they say is an unprecedented demand for building consents that they now require people wanting to lodge applications to make an appointment.

Builder Steve Fox, who has been working in Taupo for seven years, said he and his two workers were flat out.

"It's certainly the busiest it's been for a long time," he said. "We're booked up for the next six months."

Mr Fox, who renovates holiday homes, said work had taken off over the past two years and there was plenty of building confidence.

"I think it's because values are going up and [people] are improving their properties - they can't lose."

Council applications for building consents have soared fourfold and there are now about 100 waiting to be processed at any given time.

Environmental services division manager Chris Kimpton said it was almost impossible for staff to meet the 10-day statutory deadline for processing the applications.

The number of building inspections has risen by 33 per cent in the past six months.

A system with set times for dealing with customers started yesterday and people who wanted to lodge building applications needed to ring for an appointment.

- NZPA