Key issues

• Managing impacts of growth, especially for building and resource consent functions, including subdivisions

• Need for greater Council presence in area of greatest growth

• Council's customers will have increasing expectations as to the nature and quality of services provided

• People are increasingly inclined to take legal action to resolve disputes

• Proposed building control legislation may necessitate some parts of the Council's functions being carried out on a centralised, regional basis at the cost of convenience to some applicants

What we do now

Regulatory activities involve implementing rules and regulations that come from either Government legislation or Council bylaws. There are three main areas of activity and these are:

• Public protection (includes building control, environmental health, liquor licensing, animal nuisance control and bylaws management)

• Resource management (includes consents and enforcement)

• Emergency management (includes civil defence, rural fire and hazardous substances)

Why we do it

To protect the long term interests of the community and enable everyone to enjoy the amenities of the District by controlling activities or the effects of activities which may result in adverse environmental impacts

What we agree to provide to the community

Regulatory services will administer various sets of rules (eg District Plan, Building Act) with the aim of enabling individuals and groups to make the use of the amenities of the District without compromising the use and enjoyment of others, from both a short term and long term perspective.

Measuring progress

• All non-notified resource consent applications approved under delegated authority processed, after all information is received, within the statutory time limit of 20 working days

• All building consent applications processed, after all information is received, within the statutory time limit of 10 working days

• All dog, stock and noise complaints responded to within 15 minutes of receipt, site visits undertaken within two hours and decisive action taken within 72 hours

• Operative rural fire and civil defence emergency management plans maintained in accordance with relevant legislation

• Seventy five percent of residents satisfied with the overall quality of regulatory services provided¹⁴

What is planned in 2004/05

• Continuing to provide regulatory services at existing levels
• On an ongoing basis, making improvements to the quality of services provided …

Future plans (July 2005 - June 2007)

• Responding to the steady increase in the number and complexity of applications for building and resource consents and the number of liquor licence applications

• Continuing to improve systems and services including a greater presence in the south eastern area

• Implementing new emergency management, dog control and gaming legislation

• Implementing new building control legislation which is likely to have an introduction period of 3 years from 1 July 2004

• Responsibility for the Mangawhai Fire Party will be transferred to the NZ Fire Service on 1 July 2004

Future plans (July 2007– June 2014)

Key directions include:

• Continuing to deal with the increase in workload generated by ongoing growth spreading from the south east of the District and around the Kaipara Harbour and west coast settlements, while at the same time continuing to make improvements to the quality of services

• Endeavouring to ensure that the costs of implementing any new legislation are met as far as possible by the activity being regulated

• Implementing the provisions of the new District Plan

• Review of Council Bylaws

Projected expenditure