Housing hopes: Mera Ghar Mera Mahal
Gagan Saxena, from Auckland Council Building Control Department, enlightens us about housing in Auckland
Pooja: What is building consent process?
GS: Any building work we do on our site, we check its compliance. It needs to meet the requirements. That checking process is building consent process.
Pooja: It seems really important but how does it actually help people and why is it so important that people must pay attention to it?
GS: In New Zealand environment, when we plan for any type of building construction, it’s a must that it meets the build code requirements. We work under building act as well all, I am trying to be a little bit technical here. But all I would like to say, that it’s helpful as we have to make sure that we check building’s compliance and when we check that, depends upon information provided along, we just need to make sure that we are providing healthy environment and building compliance to our customers.
Pooja: We have heard about pre-lodgement meeting. Now as Mr Gagan from Auckland Council is here, please elaborate, what is pre-lodgement meeting?
GS: It is available for our customers. For any project that our customers think they need council’s help in, there is a formal way for have this meeting. We organise it for them. The services we provide in that meeting depend upon the nature of the job. For example if you are building a new house, which is a quite complex and stressful process, I agree with the customers in that; I would recommend them that they come and sit with council and try to understand their point of view. And I personally recommend them that it helps them in construction in long run. So there is a formal process called pre-application meeting. You have to contact Council for that and then council formally book them. Depending upon the project type, we provide our expertise to them in that meeting for example-structural engineers, building officers, planners, development engineers. They will be there, depending upon the project. We first understand the project and then we invite them to the meeting. And we’ll try to provide as much information as we can to our customers through that formal meeting process.
Pooja: Does this apply only to those who organise their projects themselves? What about those who go to building companies to get full service and care for their projects or those who go to architects? Do they need to come and visit the council?
GS: Just to clarify here, this process doesn’t differentiate between people who do their projects themselves or even got to any type contractors. I would like to say our process is there for our customers. If they bring the professionals to the meeting that’s well and good because they understand the technical side of it bit better. But certainly if the owner of the property is interested to meet us to initially understand the whole process, I think they can contact us at any stage. So basically it is recommendedthey should at least understand the process.
Yousuf: So listening to all this, what I get in mind that whenever you think of any kind of building work, building consent is required. That is how it is, isn’t it?
GS: Not really, Yousuf. I want to clarify here, again I am little bit technical, but under schedule-1 of the building act, it’s very, very clear, that certain types of works do not require the building consent, but it still need to meet the requirements of building code and the other legislations. I would strongly recommend here that sometimes, we get into a bit of problem, where we think as a customer that there’s not need of building consent and we continue with the building work. I would suggest that you should contact council. As I already told you that we have various means to help you, like pre-application meeting, you can call council, council also provide counter advice facility. So all you need to do is to just contact council and ask them if that particular work requires building consent or not.
Yousuf/Pooja: So then at least they would do what they need to do. And the doubt is clear.
GS: Should be. Now the things are readily available. Our forms are so robust. It’s there. So you just need to ask us if you have any doubt. Everything is there online. But sometimes I understand it’s not easy to find the information on our website. They pretty difficult. And that’s what we are there for. Just call me or council’s helpdesk. Our number is 3010101 and we provide very good customer service…(Laughs). Of course we try our best and everyone is available to help you out.
Yousuf: So now, we know whether our project needs consent or not after contacting council. Then what next?
GS: As I told you, a formal process is involved. Mostly, information is available on the form that you apply for the building consent application form, depending on if it is residential consent or commercial consent. All info is there. But your professionals help you out and we (council people) are there to help you, come to us. We provide 10-15 minutes free service, you can come and discuss your projects with us. There are planning advisors, development engineering advisors, building side of the advisors available and that’s free. But again, if you want bit lengthy meeting or some formal meeting, there’s pre-application meeting. And I understand that it not easy for everyone to understand the process. But I would request everyone to give us an opportunity to help you understand.
Yousuf: So first process is to have a pre-application meeting and then actually lodge the application?
GS:Yes. Application is lodged and then assigned to our building or development or engineering experts or planners. Then they check that particular type of consent and we are checking the compliance/ technicality of it. So after checking that when we approve it, then the building owner can start construction on his site, which need to comply with the code of what’s there in building consent.
Yousuf: Does council helps people with filling up the forms or is it something that they need to do themselves?
GS: Normally the professionals, people hire, help them in the whole process as I said, there are technicalities involved in the process, they need drawings, specifications and sometimes structural calculations for example like that. So they help our customers to do that and they comes to us to check those technicalities side of it. But certainly if customer want to understand certain things, we help them, we definitely do.
Courtesy of Humm FM, Mera Ghar Mera Mahal
Gagan Saxena, from Auckland Council Building Control Department, enlightens us about housing in Auckland
Pooja: What is building consent process?
GS: Any building work we do on our site, we check its compliance. It needs to meet the requirements. That checking process is building consent...
Gagan Saxena, from Auckland Council Building Control Department, enlightens us about housing in Auckland
Pooja: What is building consent process?
GS: Any building work we do on our site, we check its compliance. It needs to meet the requirements. That checking process is building consent process.
Pooja: It seems really important but how does it actually help people and why is it so important that people must pay attention to it?
GS: In New Zealand environment, when we plan for any type of building construction, it’s a must that it meets the build code requirements. We work under building act as well all, I am trying to be a little bit technical here. But all I would like to say, that it’s helpful as we have to make sure that we check building’s compliance and when we check that, depends upon information provided along, we just need to make sure that we are providing healthy environment and building compliance to our customers.
Pooja: We have heard about pre-lodgement meeting. Now as Mr Gagan from Auckland Council is here, please elaborate, what is pre-lodgement meeting?
GS: It is available for our customers. For any project that our customers think they need council’s help in, there is a formal way for have this meeting. We organise it for them. The services we provide in that meeting depend upon the nature of the job. For example if you are building a new house, which is a quite complex and stressful process, I agree with the customers in that; I would recommend them that they come and sit with council and try to understand their point of view. And I personally recommend them that it helps them in construction in long run. So there is a formal process called pre-application meeting. You have to contact Council for that and then council formally book them. Depending upon the project type, we provide our expertise to them in that meeting for example-structural engineers, building officers, planners, development engineers. They will be there, depending upon the project. We first understand the project and then we invite them to the meeting. And we’ll try to provide as much information as we can to our customers through that formal meeting process.
Pooja: Does this apply only to those who organise their projects themselves? What about those who go to building companies to get full service and care for their projects or those who go to architects? Do they need to come and visit the council?
GS: Just to clarify here, this process doesn’t differentiate between people who do their projects themselves or even got to any type contractors. I would like to say our process is there for our customers. If they bring the professionals to the meeting that’s well and good because they understand the technical side of it bit better. But certainly if the owner of the property is interested to meet us to initially understand the whole process, I think they can contact us at any stage. So basically it is recommendedthey should at least understand the process.
Yousuf: So listening to all this, what I get in mind that whenever you think of any kind of building work, building consent is required. That is how it is, isn’t it?
GS: Not really, Yousuf. I want to clarify here, again I am little bit technical, but under schedule-1 of the building act, it’s very, very clear, that certain types of works do not require the building consent, but it still need to meet the requirements of building code and the other legislations. I would strongly recommend here that sometimes, we get into a bit of problem, where we think as a customer that there’s not need of building consent and we continue with the building work. I would suggest that you should contact council. As I already told you that we have various means to help you, like pre-application meeting, you can call council, council also provide counter advice facility. So all you need to do is to just contact council and ask them if that particular work requires building consent or not.
Yousuf/Pooja: So then at least they would do what they need to do. And the doubt is clear.
GS: Should be. Now the things are readily available. Our forms are so robust. It’s there. So you just need to ask us if you have any doubt. Everything is there online. But sometimes I understand it’s not easy to find the information on our website. They pretty difficult. And that’s what we are there for. Just call me or council’s helpdesk. Our number is 3010101 and we provide very good customer service…(Laughs). Of course we try our best and everyone is available to help you out.
Yousuf: So now, we know whether our project needs consent or not after contacting council. Then what next?
GS: As I told you, a formal process is involved. Mostly, information is available on the form that you apply for the building consent application form, depending on if it is residential consent or commercial consent. All info is there. But your professionals help you out and we (council people) are there to help you, come to us. We provide 10-15 minutes free service, you can come and discuss your projects with us. There are planning advisors, development engineering advisors, building side of the advisors available and that’s free. But again, if you want bit lengthy meeting or some formal meeting, there’s pre-application meeting. And I understand that it not easy for everyone to understand the process. But I would request everyone to give us an opportunity to help you understand.
Yousuf: So first process is to have a pre-application meeting and then actually lodge the application?
GS:Yes. Application is lodged and then assigned to our building or development or engineering experts or planners. Then they check that particular type of consent and we are checking the compliance/ technicality of it. So after checking that when we approve it, then the building owner can start construction on his site, which need to comply with the code of what’s there in building consent.
Yousuf: Does council helps people with filling up the forms or is it something that they need to do themselves?
GS: Normally the professionals, people hire, help them in the whole process as I said, there are technicalities involved in the process, they need drawings, specifications and sometimes structural calculations for example like that. So they help our customers to do that and they comes to us to check those technicalities side of it. But certainly if customer want to understand certain things, we help them, we definitely do.
Courtesy of Humm FM, Mera Ghar Mera Mahal
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