| 39 T T Virginia Wright Getting to grips with planning issues Sentinel Planning works closely with developers on feasibility, strategy, planning and consent, ensuring an easier process through council. Sentinel Planning REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Trusted resource management and planning consultancy, Sentinel Planning, is an important resource for Auckland’s ongoing development in an ever-changing regulatory and planning environment, and a key part of the financial juggle which invariably underlies the decision to move forward on any successful development. Now based in Takapuna, its managing director, Simon O’Connor, spent five years working with the most prominent independent planning consultancy in the UK, and held a principal role with one of London’s largest borough’s major projects team, in between some 10 years as a principal in Auckland Council’s Planning and Policy departments. Simon now leads a team of 13 with different areas of expertise and knowledge across local government, private practice, policy and development, working throughout the broader Auckland region. They work collaboratively with interested parties with one goal in mind: to add value to a project and to achieve maximum yield for their clients. Simon’s background also extends into property development, and he always has a couple of his own infill development schemes on the go at any given time. He describes the consultancy’s role as being the go-between. “The easiest way to describe what a planner does is that we work with council on our clients’ behalf to get a ‘yes’. We are the mouthpiece, the interface, the organiser, the project manager of all the specialists. “We take it from the idea in someone’s head through to something on paper, working with architects, surveyors, engineers, arborists, traffic movement designers – you name it we work with them. We collate it all and run the project to get the idea approved by the council.” The 11 planners, supported by two members of the operations team, deal exclusively with the planning side of things, working closely with the specialists they have longstanding relationships with. They still do a lot of work for Auckland Council, often on their more difficult projects. Sentinel Planning’s wealth of experience, acquired over many years, makes them well qualified to work on large, complex infrastructure projects like the Central Interceptor, Civil Engineering We design the infrastructure supporting Auckland’s development. Our specialist land development engineers offer a full range of services from concept through to completion. Surveying From site topographic surveying & subdivision plans to site set-out & land transfer survey, our experienced surveyors have you covered. Landscape Architecture Let our landscape designers bring your project to life, matching quality builds with appealing planting & outdoor living environments. Construction Monitoring We provide technical and practical expertise to deliver robust solutions for residential land development projects. Subdivision Management From feasibility studies through to issuing of titles, we can manage your subdivision project seamlessly Land development solutions, engineered for change. Let’s develop your vision. CALL US 09 956 2301 info@developed.co.nz developed.co.nz which takes Auckland Central’s storm and wastewater down to Mangere, or, further afield to the Dome Valley Landfill. The bulk of their work involves multi-unit terraces or infill housing, but Sentinel Planning also gets involved with projects as small as moving a window or removing a chimney to extend a living area. An area that Simon really enjoys is working with first- or second-home buyers looking to subdivide. “It’s about helping people get the most out of what they already have,” he says. “You can work with somebody who’s got marginal equity in their property and help them develop their one site into two. “They might move into the new house, or they might use it as a steppingstone, but it really helps them get onto the property ladder.” For bigger projects, Sentinel Planning works closely with developers on feasibility, strategy, planning and consent, ensuring an easier process through council, as they help them put the pieces together that make the whole project viable, despite complex and changing rules and requirements. “Things seem to be getting harder as more layers of red tape are added, so you need a good competent planner who understands what’s going on and who can guide you through the maze that is property development and regulation at the moment,“ says Simon. The Sentinel Planning tean is there to be the interpreter as they interface between the council and the client. Given the volume and variety of applications the team lodges with Auckland Council each year, there’s no doubt that they remain fully across exactly what’s needed for a project to gain consent, whether it’s big or small, complex or relatively straightforward. “The easiest way to describe what a planner does is that we work with council on our clients’ behalf to get a ‘yes’. We are the mouthpiece, the interface, the organiser, the project manager of all the specialists.”
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