What you need to know before you make a submission
Before you make a submission, you need to understand what the resource consent application is for and how it might affect you.
The first step is to study the full resource consent application. You can do this at the council offices if you don't already have a copy.
- Make sure you fully understand what the application involves. Ask council officers to explain any part that is unclear.
- Study the assessment of environmental effects (AEE) attached to the resource consent application. Every application has to have an AEE. This will tell you a lot about the positive and negative environmental effects of the activity, and how the applicant proposes to reduce the negative effects.
- Think carefully about the effect on you of the activity needing resource consent. Do you think the AEE's description of the likely effect is full and accurate? Do you believe that the scale of likely effects is acceptable? Consider whether the benefits of what is being proposed outweigh your concerns about adverse effects.
- Refer to the district or regional plan. This may help you get a better understanding of some of the environmental issues the proposal may raise. It might also help you understand which issues are likely to be relevant and which are not.
The objectives or policies in plans will be particularly helpful where they relate to the type of activity proposed, or the area where the activity might take place.
District and regional plans can be found at the relevant council offices and public libraries. Most plans are available electronically on the council's website.
- Ask council officers to photocopy key parts of the application, including descriptions of what's proposed, and any plans or drawings. You can then take the material away to think about it and discuss it with other people. You may be asked to pay for this - check first.
- Consider talking to the person applying for resource consent about:
- what they want to do
- how it will affect you
- how they will reduce adverse effects on the environment.
Study the application for resource consent, talk to council staff, and talk to other people who might be affected. This will help you identify the matters to raise in your submission and avoid raising matters that are not relevant. The council will not be able to tell you whether to make a submission or not.
You may want to seek professional advice.
