Councils
In a public forum on Monday night, Mee & Henry director and lawyer Liz Henry presented a survey that highlighted the weaknesses within ICC’s building consent processes.
Within the survey involving 63 participants, nearly 80 percent felt their dealings with Invercargill City Council for planning and building consents were “unsatisfactory”.
According to Liz, breaching the Building Act’s 20 working day timeframe was a common problem, and a lack of staffing resources was contributing to the issue and causing delays. Not enough building officers also meant that staff wellbeing within the building consents and planning teams could be compromised.
Former councillor Wayne Harpur attended the forum in his role as BL Rayner 2019 Ltd managing director. Wayne said working with the council was harder than it needed to be, and he had left the domestic solid fuel heating market out of frustration for the consents process. He now focuses purely on heat pumps and central heating.
Wayne did, however, say not all fault lay with the council. Ensuring those in the building industry submitted all the correct documentation could lead to fewer problems in some cases.
Next month, a final decision will be made on the council regulatory committee’s recommendation for an audit.
Below is from Liz Henry lawyer who started the survey.
We are looking for feedback from the community on their dealings with the Invercargill City Council.
This is for information gathering purposes only, and does not constitute a complaint under the Building Act. We would appreciate it if you could complete the below form.
https://forms.gle/SaPL6K6wpEdrsRCk7
This survey is not a formal complaint process, however if you have a complaint please make them in writing to the ICC, so they are able to address them in accordance with the complaints process under the Building Act 2004 and the Local Government Act. Should you wish to formally complain directly to Council please refer to their complaints process athttps://icc.govt.nz/building/building-complaints/