The Whakatāne District Council is reminding residents that the processing time for various applications will be affected during the end-of-year holiday period.

Council offices will be closed from midday on Thursday, 24 December 2015, reopening at 8 am on Tuesday, 5 January 2016. Applications will still be processed within the stated number of working days but will take longer to complete due to the closure over the holiday period.

Building and Resource Consents submitted prior to and during the holiday period will still be processed within 20 working days. However, weekdays between 20 December and 10 January are not considered working days under Government legislation, and the Council will be operating at reduced staff levels during this period. Applicants are advised to contact the Council if clarification on the timing of consent approvals is required.

LIM applications submitted prior to and during the holiday period will be processed within 10 working days. However, 25 December – 15 January are not considered working days for LIM applications, under legislation.

Sale and Supply of Alcohol special licence applications need to be lodged 20 working days prior to the event. Please note that 20 December – 15 January are not considered working days for alcohol licensing applications, so applicants wanting licenses for activities during or immediately after that period are advised to lodge their applications within the next few days. The objection period following public notification of applications will also be affected.