A submission is a written statement either in support of, or in opposition to, a publicly notified resource consent application.

Notified Consents

The Waimakariri District Council notifies resource consents in the:

• Resource Management Section of Saturday's "press", and
• By circulating the application to affected persons, and
• By a notice displayed on the application site.

How Do I Make a Submission?

A submission must be in writing and include the following:

• The reasons for making the submission.
• The decision you want the Council to make.
• The general nature of any conditions sought.
• Whether you wish to be heard by the Hearings Committee.

It will help if you can state if you are in support of, or in opposition to, the application.

The written submission must also state:

• The full name, address and telephone number of the person or organisation making the submission.
• The name of the applicant and the application number. These can be found on the advertisement or notice notifying the application.

The Council has a Notice of Submission to Resource consent form to enable you to make a submission to a consent.

This form is available in for you to view electronically in a PDF file format.  You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer (available free) in order to view and print these documents.

Notice of Submission to Resource Consent form (pdf 36kb)

Who Must a Submission Be Sent To?

The submission must be forwarded (by post, hand delivery or fax) by the notified closing date to the Waimakariri District Council at its offices as stated in the public advertisement or notice.

You must serve a copy of your submission on the applicant as soon as reasonably practicable.

Your submission may be invalid if it is not received by the Council by the closing date, and if the applicant does not receive a copy.

How Long Do I Have to Lodge a Submission?

The closing date for submissions is clearly stated at the bottom of all public notices. This is around one month (20 working days) after the application has been publicly notified.

Any submission received by the District Council after 5.00pm on the closing day will not be accepted.

What Happens Then?

You will be given at least 10 working days' notice of the date, time and location of the hearing on the application. These are public meetings. You may attend the hearing whether or not you wish to be heard in support of your submission.

Officers' or consultants' planning reports on the application are available two working days before the hearing from the Council's Rangiora office.

Some hearings are held jointly with Environment Canterbury. For those hearings Environment Canterbury administers the hearing process.

Need to Know More?

This publication is a guide only. For more specific information speak to the Council's planning staff.