News and information : Christchurch City Council

Find out about any changes to how building consents and inspections are done, and latest processing timeframes.

Go ahead newsletter

In the latest Go ahead newsletter, you will find information about development contributions, inspections and pre-application meetings.

August 2016 performance report [PDF 23.7 KB]

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Controlling sediment on site

Here's a reminder of Council's requirements around sediment run-off.

Protection to stop sediment run-off into rivers

Uncontrolled sediment run-off ultimately discharges into rivers and waterways resulting in increased flood risk, poor recreational amenity and reduced biodiversity.

Sediment discharges from development and construction are key contributors to poor water quality within our city.

Uncontrolled erosion and sediment run-off from earthworks and building sites can easily enter the Council storm-water system. This ultimately discharges into rivers and waterways resulting in increased flood risk, poor recreational amenity and reduced biodiversity.

Building inspectors monitor compliance with the management plan that was submitted with your building consent application. The pre-pour inspection will include a check that the control mechanisms have been put in place and subsequent inspections will monitor the management process to ensure that sediment control remains in place.

If the initial control mechanisms (rumble pads for vehicles, hay bales or similar for sediment entrapment etc.) are not in place, approval will not be given to pour concrete.

Consenting & Compliance staff are working alongside ECAN compliance staff to raise awareness and monitor compliance with erosion and sediment control systems on building sites this winter. In addition to standard scheduled inspections, there will be ad hoc site inspections. Staff from both organisations will respond to complaints.

If you don't ensure adequate erosion and sediment controls on site, the Council can issue a notice to fix the problem or, if sediment is allowed to discharge into the Council's storm water drains or local waterways, you may be fined. Significant or recurring problems could also result in prosecution.

Please encourage staff to be sediment-aware — effective on-site management of soil erosion reduces the potential for pollution and can provide benefits in:

Reducing construction time
Reducing clean-up costs
Better all-weather site access
Improved wet weather working conditions
Improved site drainage and site wetness
Fewer problems with mud and dust

The Builders Pocket Guide, www.bpg.co.nz, provides simple advice with more comprehensive information available on the ECAN website.

Tips for solid fuel heater consent success

Follow these simple tips to take the stress out of getting your solid fuel heater consent.

At this time of year, the Council traditionally experiences an influx of applications for solid fuel heaters.

Keep cosy with a fire Each year we plan so we have enough people to manage the volume.

We can process good quality and complete applications more quickly than incomplete applications.

Below are some helpful tips to help ensure a quick turn-around with your application.

Use the most up-to-date application form - B-002H.
Check the Clean Air Certification number matches with the ECAN website.
Include complete floor plans with dimensions, doors to bedrooms, windows and location of the proposed fire.
If installing a wetback, indicate the position of the hot water cylinder.
Make sure any seismic restraint is listed in the manufacturer's installation instructions.
Make sure the manufacturer's installation instructions are current and for the specific model.
Provide a structural integrity report for inbuilt/insert models.
Provide information for all levels of the dwelling (not just the floor the SFH is on) and indicate whether the flue goes through an intermediate floor.
Make it obvious if you are using existing flashings.
Provide details of flue flashing / specify complete flue system.
The distance of flue height above roof line should be indicated (to determine if flue [wind] bracing is required, i.e. if greater than 1.2 metres high).

Keeping a lid on noise issues

Common sense will help you stay on side with neighbours during construction.

Construction in Christchurch The Council is encouraging the construction industry to be mindful of neighbours around sites where major building work is being done.

The surge in construction activity has led to an increase in complaints from people concerned with noise from neighbouring construction sites.

Council Environmental Compliance Team Leader Nigel Grant says it's important to keep in contact with neighbours, especially giving prior notice for planned works.

"It's inevitable that during a rebuild as large as the one underway in Christchurch there will be some construction noise, and generally people accept that, but there are rules that should be followed."

From Monday to Saturday there should be no noisy construction activity on site before 6.30am.

On Sundays and public holidays noise on site should also be kept to a minimum, meaning no use of power tools or any other noisy machinery.

"It's as simple as not using noisy saws and cutters, or diggers, at times when people expect a bit of peace and quiet. People should also be mindful of worker behaviour, language, radios blaring or loud voices and how other people might react."

Principal contractors should take responsibility for reminding sub-contractors about acceptable limits.

Generally, when people approach builders or contractors with concerns about noise, they can work out a compromise. However, if noise continues to be a problem, people could lodge a noise complaint with the Council.

When the Council investigates any such complaint and finds that the site was exceeding permitted noise levels, an excessive noise direction could be served.

Taking the guesswork out of inspections

Avoid any delays or extra cost by eliminating simple things that can lead to a failed inspection.

Inspector checking documents Knowing when to book your inspection can be tricky and if you don't get it right it can lead to delays, frustration and extra cost.

Making your booking at the right time is important. Book too early, you may not be ready when the inspection is done and could fail, incurring cost and an unnecessary repeat of the inspection. Leave it too late and you may not be able to go ahead with other work while you wait to pass your inspection.

At the moment, we are experiencing a rise in demand and it's taking up to five days to get to some inspections. We have just hired another eight inspectors who will bolster numbers from the middle of this month.

You can help stop the waiting time from getting longer by booking your inspections for when you know the work will be ready. Also make sure you have the correct documents on site for the inspection.

The Council has developed guidelines for residential inspections that explain the documents needed for each inspection type. Following these guidelines will boost your chances of inspections success. They can be found on the Council website on the section on types of building inspections.

Access to utility services on site

Electricity plug You can avoid delays to projects by making sure you have covered off all the services you need to connect to the site.

Whether your project is residential or commercial, it pays to involve all utility providers and the Council early in your design.

This will help to ensure that services are installed in a timely way and to avoid delays in your project schedule. If you overlook important details such as the size and capacity requirements of your design, you may incur additional costs and delays.

BWoF — more than just a catchy name

Important steps owners must take to show buildings are safe.

A building owner needs to renew a building’s warrant of fitness (BWoF) every 12 months, signing, issuing and publicly displaying it to prove the building’s life safety systems (called specified systems) have been maintained and inspected.

It is important all inspections noted in the compliance schedule are carried out and recorded correctly. This is particularly important for fire exit doors, fire and smoke separation and fire exit signs.

There may be other inspections required to be carried out by the building owner. Some may need to be done daily or monthly depending on the compliance schedule requirement.

If records of these inspections are not provided to the independently qualified person (IQP) during the annual issue of building warrant of fitness, the IQP may either refuse to issue correct documentation or issue documentation that the Council cannot accept as meeting the requirements of the Building Act 2004.

The key thing is for building owners to understand the requirements of the compliance schedule, ensure that the relevant inspections are carried out and recorded and that correct records are provided to the IQP at the end of each reporting year.

Tip of the month - minimum floor levels

The Council sets minimum floor levels to protect properties from the risk of flooding. If you are rebuilding or extending, your building may need to be built to the new floor level.

Minimum floor level requirements have been updated during the District Plan review so it pays to check the latest information.

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