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Numbers of non-residential building and resource consents issued on the Coast showed a fall in the last 18 months. This is likely due to cuts in spending during the recession. In the year ending November 2009 there were 141 non-residential building consents for new buildings issued in the region, worth a total of $14 million.
Development planning
Non-residential building and resource consents are good indicators of economic activity in a region, especially from a business growth perspective. Table 6.1 presents a set of indicators of development on the West Coast for the last two years.
Table 6.1 summary development indicators
| Development and planning | Latest | Previous | West Coast % Change |
New Zealand % Change |
|
Non Residential Building Consents (number) |
141 | 226 | -37.61% | -27.48% |
| Non Residential Building Consents (new - $m) | 13.5 | 44.3 | -69.54% | 2.34% |
| Resource Consents Applications | 545 | 507 | 7.% | na |
| Resource Consents Approved | 522 | 491 | 139.32% | na |
The number and value of non-residential building consents issued on the West Coast have fallen dramatically in 2009. Resource consent applications showed an increase of 7.5 percent from the previous year.
Non residential building consents
A total of 141 non-residential building consents for new buildings were issued on the West Coast in the year to November 2009, valued at $14 million. This was a 37 percent fall in the number of permits and a 69 percent fall in the value of permits. This is likely due to a cut back in spending due to the recession.
Figure 6.1 and Figure 6.2 show the relative change in numbers and value of consents respectively of new non-residential consents in the West Coast region compared to New Zealand, from 1993.
Figure 6.1 change in number of new non-residential consents
The number and value of non-residential consents are particularly prone to fluctuation, as the figures show. Numbers rose in five of the last ten years and declined in the other five years although overall, the trend is clearly upward.
Figure 6.2 change in value of new non-residential consents
There was a dramatic increase in the value of new non-residential permits in 2001 and, after falling back slightly in 2002 and 2003, total value moved past the $30 million level for the first time in 2006. Values continued to build in the latest year, reaching $36 million. This equates to an increase of more than 500 percent in 15 years.
Resource consents
The number of resource consent applications can also indicate activity in a region. Figure 6.3 shows the number of resource consent applied for and granted in the West Coast region.
Figure 6.3 resource consents
The latest year to June 2007, was, like 2002, a year of whitebait resource consent renewals. The result was an unusually high number of resource consent applications, up 128 percent over 2006 figures. Due to the whitebait consents, it is difficult to tell whether consent numbers are trending up or down. Looking over the last few years, however, there does seem a general trend down from 2003.
Housing
This section looks at a number of housing indicators, which also give an idea of general economic confidence in the region. Table 9.1 summarises a range of housing activity indicators.
Table 9.1 housing summary indicators
| Housing | Latest | Previous | West Coast % Change |
New Zealand % Change |
| Rateable Properties | 21,833 | 21,686 | .68% | na |
| Rateable Capital Value ($m) | 6,745 | 6,321 | 6.71% | na |
| House Sales | 368 | 525 | -29.90% | -13.62% |
| Average House Price ($'000) | 207 | 208 | -0.39% | -2.13% |
| Residential Building Consents (new - number) | 163 | 222 | -26.58% | -25.53% |
| Residential Building Consents (new - $m) | 39.0 | 52.3 | -25.44% | -22.16% |
Results in the West Coast were mixed. The number and value of rateable properties increased in the 2009 year; however, house sales were dramatically down (greater than the national trend). The average house price, and the number and value of residential building consents, were also down, but comparable to what has been seen nationally.
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New Dwelling Consents
New dwelling consents provide a further measure of confidence as developers and private individuals build where they see potential for growth.
Figure 9.6 shows the change in numbers of building consents for new dwellings on the West Coast and in all of New Zealand since 1993.
Figure 9.6 change in number of new dwelling consents
2009 shows a continuation of the fall in new dwelling consents first seen in 2008. Lower demand for housing due to the recession has led to fewer consents. West Coast consents fell at a similar rate to that seen nationally. Historically, West Coast new dwelling consent growth has been strong, growing consistently faster than New Zealand over the last decade. That said, the two indexes are around on par in 2009.
The value of new dwelling consents issued on the West Coast has risen strongly over the last several years, but has shown a significant fall in 2009, as shown in Figure 9.7.
Figure 9.7 value of new residential building consents
The value of new residential consents for the West Coast rose from $7.34 million in the November 1999 year, to $57.5 million in 2007, an increase of 676 percent. The value has since fallen from that peak, however, down to $39.0 million in 2009. Looking back, the 2009 value is still historically strong, and above national growth
Source: BERL 2009
