An Invercargill law firm has launched an online survey asking residents and businesses about their experiences getting a building consent from the Invercargill City Council (ICC).

Mee and Henry Law director Liz Henry said there had been "murmurings" that the council's building and planning team was under-resourced, with concerns it potentially wasn't fulfilling its functions under the Building Act. 

Mrs Henry said people wanting to address issues or concerns with the consenting process should file a complaint with the Invercargill City Council. 

However, many had indicated they were reluctant to do so out of fear there would be repercussions on their consent application. 

The law firm launched an online survey yesterday to begin gathering information from those directly affected. Already, they had received around 20 responses.

She clarified, however, that this was strictly an information-gathering exercise, not a formal complaint. 

"If these murmurings are, in fact, correct, then in order to address that we've got to go through a bit of a process to make sure that council is fully aware of that," Mrs Henry said.

Advocate South reported in September that the value of projects requiring a building consent in Invercargill had increased 88% in the past 12 months, stretching the council’s consents department to the brink.

Mrs Henry said some of the law firm's own clients had felt the impact of such delays, such as contracts falling over or clients losing funds because there wasn't enough certainty around building consent timeframes. 

Mrs Henry said she had concerns for some of the most vulnerable people in Invercargill who, for example, couldn't get fireplaces to meet new clean air provisions. 

"I've got concerns that you've got a little old lady who's got no heating because she can't get a consent through council."

The survey was open to anyone who had dealt with the ICC, be it for a small residential upgrade or a large commercial venture. 

The survey was intended to not take too much time, and they welcomed both positive and negative feedback, she said. 

Results would be presented to the ICC's regulatory committee this Tuesday, however the survey would be open after that. Results would be also be presented to the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment. 

CLICK HERE to view the survey.