31 July 2023
Media: Newshub/AM Show
Topic: Emergency housing information
Enquiry
AM show requested an interview with Mayor Tapsell, live on the show this morning, regarding emergency housing information, prompted by a Stuff article
Response
You can watch the Mayor’s interview via THIS LINK on the Newshub website, which also includes a written version.
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Media: BOP Times
Topic: Consent and development fees
Enquiry
I'm working on a story for the Bay of Plenty Times about the cost of consent + development fees for a three-bedroom home.
I'm hoping to compare this to other parts of the region and wondered if the council would be able to provide a breakdown of the average cost of building consent, and the average development fee contribution cost for a three-bedroom house in Rotorua.
Response
We explained to the reporter that RLC does not hold the type of information he requested – ie a breakdown of an average cost of a building consent and average development fee contribution cost for a three-bedroom house.
We explained that there are too many variables that have to be taken into account for each council, including:
- what area of the district you are building in,
- how many times an inspector may have to visit the site,
- whether it is replacing an existing home or adding another home on the property,
Each council has their own different variables and costs they factor into the equation so, it won’t be a level playing field. It’s not as simple as buying a block of cheese from Pak’nSave and Countdown and comparing the price like you are trying to attempt.
We suggested that a way that may work and give the result they are looking for would be to go to someone like GJ Gardner or Signature Homes and get them to give a price for a standard 3 bedroom home in or around the CBD including consents and development costs for all of the towns/cities in the region, information which they may already have. That way, they could get a visual of the house/plans and the actual costs including the house price.