Click photo to enlarge
Versatile Buildings owner Peter Gouverneur considers that
changes to the building consents system will help reduce
costs for projects such as this stock-design building in
Kaikorai Valley, Dunedin. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Buyers of new off-the-shelf-design homes across Otago
could be thousands of dollars better off as a result of
Government moves to streamline the building consent process.
It was announced yesterday a new pre-approval system for home
and building designs would be introduced on February 1 next
year.
The new system - called the national multiple-use approval
service - would allow construction companies using one design
for multiple homes to have such designs pre-approved for
building compliance.
The change, announced by Building and Construction Minister
Maurice Williamson, would save companies and customers the
cost of applying for new consents for such designs each time
they were used.
Otago builders spoken to yesterday welcomed the change,
saying it would reduce paperwork, delays and compliance costs
for companies and their customers wanting
off-the-shelf-design homes and other non-domestic buildings.
Dunedin City Council chief building control officer Neil
McLeod said it was also "inevitable" the change would lead to
building consent fees being cut, although details were yet to
be discussed.
"I think that will be inevitable . . . there should
theoretically be less work to do," he said.
Mr McLeod said there were between 250 and 350 new homes built
in Dunedin each year, and Versatile Buildings owner Peter
Gouverneur, of Dunedin, estimated about 15% of them would be
built using designs that could benefit from the new system.
He expected customers could achieve savings of up to $4000 on
the average home.
"If it means we can build our standard buildings and speed up
the building code application process, then that's great. It
will save a lot of time and it will save customers ultimately
some money," he said.
His company, like others, and the council had faced
increasingly onerous compliance requirements since the
introduction of the Building Act 2004, which aimed to address
poor-quality building in response to the leaky homes scandal.
Even though Dunedin did not have a history of leaky homes,
the company was now producing "piles and piles of paperwork"
for the council - as the building consent authority in
Dunedin - each time it used the same design for a new house.
"Our photocopier is just spitting out reams and reams of
stuff."
The council was also sending out its staff to carry out the
same checks on each house, even when designed the same way,
he said.
"It's just gone far too far. There's just so much red tape.
There's so many costs involved before you get a stick in the
ground," he said.
Stewart Construction managing director Ross Middlemass -
whose company owned Cavalier Homes Otago - agreed the system
was "definitely not working at the moment" and many companies
would benefit.
However, savings would depend on how much the council cut
fees, he believed.
Mr McLeod said a decision on reducing consent fees would be
made by early next year, in time for changes by February 1.
Companies wanting pre-approval would apply to the Department
of Building and Housing, but would still need to gain
consents for other site-specific aspects, such as
foundations.
Consent authority staff would also still carry out
inspections and other duties required as part of the building
process, Mr McLeod said.
Mr Williamson said the change was part of a package of
initiatives, also including a wider review of the Building
Act 2004, which was continuing.
Councils would also have less time available to consents
staff - 10 working days rather than 20 - to process consents
involving a pre-approved design, he said.
chris.morris@odt.co.nz
