Case Study 6.1: Palmerston North City Council – Permission to Act

In conjunction with David Engwicht of Creative Communities Australia, the Palmerston North City Council has developed a simple, visual document that explains to community members the types of work they can do in, on and around their properties without the approval of the council. The document was developed as part of a broader place-making project, and aimed to encourage the business community and residents to take more active roles in renewing or reshaping their areas.

Councils elsewhere could benefit by developing similar documents, adapted to their local rules and conditions. These could be targeted at heritage buildings specifically, in a generic or a more area-based approach. By clarifying the types of works that actually require approval from the council, these documents can help to dispel myths about how much control they exert.

Too often the misperception that council approval is required for everything is used as an excuse for owners and businesses to not undertake works on the basis that they will become involved in difficult and costly consent processes. However, the effects of these perceptions can go further than just stifling development activities. Perceptions that councils control everything can lead to an over-reliance on the councils at the expense of communities being engaged in and taking responsibility for their own areas. The active engagement of building owners and businesses is key to successful revitalisation and Saving the Town. Developing a simple document that demonstrates where there is scope for independent activity can be the first step to empowering and challenging a local community to become more involved.

There is a secondary benefit to developing such documents. Through the process of compiling them, it can become clear to councils just how many rules and regulations they do manage and how few areas there may be for owners to act without some types of approval. Their compilation can be a useful stocktake for councils on whether that level of management is actually necessary. It can help councils identify areas of duplication where, often unintentionally, different departments exercise some types of authority over the same area and where contradictory approval processes exist. Used smartly then, the development of such documents helps to reduce work in silos, streamline or centralise approval processes, and reduce the number of approvals required. In turn, this assists in improving customer service and reducing barriers for owners and businesses.

Palmerston North City Council’s permission to act brochure illustrates what owners can do without council approval in a fun way.

PHOTO CREDIT: PALMERSTON NORTH CITY COUNCIL