Resource Management Amendment Act 2005

75 New section 137 substituted
  • The principal Act is amended by repealing section 137, and substituting the following section:

    137 Transferability of discharge permits
    • (1) The holder of a discharge permit may—

      • (a) transfer part or all of the holder's interest in the permit; and

      • (b) make the transfer for part or all of the remaining period of the permit.

      (2) The holder may make the transfer if it—

      • (a) is for the site for which the permit is granted; and

      • (b) is to—

        • (i) another owner or occupier of the site for which the permit is granted; or

        • (ii) a local authority.

      (3) The holder may make the transfer if it is for another site and is to any person, if a regional plan—

      • (a) allows the transfer; or

      • (b) allows the holder to apply to the consent authority that granted the permit to be allowed to make the transfer.

      (4) A regional plan may allow a transfer or a consent authority may allow a transfer if—

      • (a) the transfer does not worsen the actual or potential effect of any discharges on the environment; and

      • (b) the transfer does not result in any discharges that contravene a national environmental standard; and

      • (c) if the discharge is to water, both sites are in the same catchment; and

      • (d) if the discharge is to air and a national environmental standard applies to a discharge to air, both sites are in the same air-shed as defined in the standard; and

      • (e) if the discharge is to air and paragraph (d) does not apply, both sites are in the same region.

      (5) An application under subsection (3)(b)—

      • (a) must be in the prescribed form; and

      • (b) must be lodged jointly by the holder of the permit and the person to whom it is proposed to transfer the interest in the permit; and

      • (c) must be considered under sections 88 to 115, 120, and 121 as if—

        • (i) the application for a transfer were an application for a resource consent; and

        • (ii) the holder were an applicant for a resource consent.

      (6) The transfer has no effect until the consent authority that granted the permit receives written notice of it.

      (7) When a consent authority receives written notice of a transfer that is made for all of the remaining period of the permit,—

      • (a) the original permit, or the part of it that relates to the part of the interest transferred, is cancelled; and

      • (b) the interest, or the part of it transferred, is a new permit on the same conditions as the original permit.