Premium service for resource consents

Our premium service

We know some projects are highly complex.

Our premium service is a tailored project management system for complex developments that need a higher level of council support and management through:

• resource consent
• engineering approval
• compliance processes.

Key features of our premium service

Applicants using the premium service can benefit from:

• a collaborative partnership based on understanding your business
• discussing your proposal and consenting strategy at an early stage
• providing one point of contact (your principal project lead) to make sure there is clear and regular communication for your project team and the council team
• giving your project access to an experienced team of professionals
• managing the consenting process and coordinating the large amounts of specialist and expert input required to determine your application
• providing a strong focus on resolving issues ahead of lodging your application
• reducing or avoiding the need for further information requests
• providing co-ordination, mediation and resolution services with our different departments, council-controlled organisations (CCOs) or other parties as required
• managing media enquiries, local board requests and other communications including mayoral, in collaboration with your communication or media teams
• agreeing on timeframes with you up front, with regular checks on performance and progress throughout the process.

If your proposal is eligible and we accept it as a premium service project, the consent will usually maintain that status throughout any variations, additional consent applications and any outline plans of works.

Eligibility for our premium service

Projects eligible for our premium service usually have an approximate build cost of $100m and multiple consenting requirements.

This could include a development or event with:

• national or regional significance
• a high media profile or political attention
• significant specialist, engineering or planning involvement
• a long-term programme of dependent consents (within a defined redevelopment boundary or precinct plan area) by one or more applicants
• consents lodged at the same time as designations and plan changes
• significant environmental, infrastructure or funding issues that, if not resolved, place the development at risk of not going ahead. This may need coordination with our Development Programme Office to help draft infrastructure funding agreements.

Projects using the premium service

Examples of projects that have used our premium service include:

• America's Cup and associated downtown works programme
• Northern Corridor Motorway improvements
• City Rail Link
• Tāmaki Redevelopment including both housing and essential infrastructure
• 277 Broadway Shopping Centre redevelopment
• NZ International Conference Centre construction
• Pacifica Apartments (50+ storeys)
• Commercial Bay Shopping Centre tower redevelopment and construction
• Dome Valley Regional Landfill
• Eastern Busway
• O Mahurangi Penlink.

Get started with premium service

The first step is to send a request to premiumservicerc@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz outlining why you would like your project processed through the premium service.

If we accept your request you will attend a scope meeting with a Premium Principal Project Lead.

The project meeting and pre-application discussions are held early, often in the initial design phase. This is to ensure we understand early on in your design process:

• the scope and scale of the project
• the issues involved
• specialist skills required.

The value we add is through early dialogue in an extended pre-application phase where we identify and resolve any issues and complexities before lodgement.

Our premium service model works best in a high-trust, high-communication and collaborative relationship between us and you, as outlined in the Premium Unit Charter.

Get a copy of the Resource Consents Premium Unit Charter

We can offer a quality process with a strong focus on identifying and mitigating risks and finding solutions.

You need to be open, transparent, submit a good quality application and keep to project timeframes.

Premium service fees

Once the application is accepted for processing through the premium service, you will need to lodge a pre-application request online which includes payment of a standard charge.

Further standard charges will apply when you lodge your consent application(s) and/or outline plans of works (OPWs).

These charges will be based on the complexity of the project, including the number of applications and specialists involved.

You will receive monthly billing and reporting.

More information

Email us at premiumservicerc@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz for more information.

We also offer pre-application guidance and online resources. For more information, visit Resource consent pre-application guidance.