Thursday, 1 July 2021, 2:48 pm $50,000 per year is available to help community and catchment groups with resource consent processing fees as part of a new fund introduced through the Long-term Plan. The new fund aims to reduce the barriers for Otago groups to advance projects that enhance our environment. General Manager Regulatory Richard Saunders said the initiative arose following feedback on the Long-term Plan 2021-31. “Several submissions raised the issue of consent processing fees being a barrier for groups wanting to undertake projects that enhance Otago’s environment. Based on this feedback, Councillors requested that staff develop a policy that would enable ORC to support