Supporting documents for a resource consent application

The comprehensiveness of your AEE should be comparable to the scale and significance of the effects of the proposed activity. If you're in doubt about what to provide please contact a Council Planning Technician (planning@wcc.govt.nz) or seek advice from a Planning Consultant.

Include in your AEE:

• an assessment of the activity's actual or potential effect on the environment, including:
  • any effect on those in the neighbourhood and, where relevant, the wider community – including any social, economic, or cultural effects
  • any physical effect on the locality, including any landscape and visual effects
  • any effect on ecosystems, including effects on plants or animals and any physical disturbance of habitats in the vicinity
  • any effect on natural and physical resources with aesthetic, recreational, scientific, historical, spiritual, or cultural value, or other special value, for present or future generations
  • any discharge of contaminants into the environment, including any unreasonable emission of noise, and options for the treatment and disposal of contaminants
• identification of people who will be affected by the activity (for example, neighbours or mana whenua), any consultation undertaken, and any response to the comments of any person consulted
• if it is likely that the activity will result in any significant adverse effect on the environment, a description of any possible alternative locations or methods for undertaking the activity
• a description of the mitigation measures (including safeguards and contingency plans, where relevant) to be undertaken to help prevent or reduce the actual or potential effect on the environment (for example sediment control from earthworks)
• if the scale and significance of the activity’s effects mean that monitoring is required, a description of how and by whom the effects would be monitored (for example ongoing noise monitoring)
• if the activity will, or is likely to, have adverse effects that are more than minor on the exercise of a protected customary right, a description of possible alternative locations or methods for the exercise of the activity (unless written approval for the activity is given by the protected customary rights group)
• any risk to the neighbourhood, the wider community, or the environment through natural hazards or the use of hazardous installations
• if any permitted activity is part of the proposal, a description of the permitted activity that demonstrates that it complies with the requirements, conditions, and permissions for the permitted activity.

A guide to preparing a basic assessment of environmental effects – Ministry for Environment

An application for subdivision consent must also include:

• the position of all new boundaries
• the areas of all new allotments, unless the subdivision involves a cross lease, company lease, or unit plan
• the locations and areas of new reserves to be created, including any esplanade reserves and esplanade strips (if relevant)
• the locations and areas of any existing esplanade reserves, esplanade strips, and access strips (if relevant)
• the locations and areas of any part of the bed of a river or lake to be vested in Council (if relevant)
• the locations and areas of land to be set aside as new roads (if relevant).

You can order this from Land Information NZ or other online providers.

You'll also need to include any additional instruments that are listed on your record of title, such as consent notices or encumbrances.

Order a record of title – Land Information NZ

It needs to be:

• overlaid with existing contours and property boundaries
• extending at least 20 metres beyond all side and rear boundaries, and showing frontages of properties across the street.

You can download an aerial photo from the Council’s online property map.

Property map

The plan must show:

• location of boundaries
• a north point that is accurately orientated
• a unique plan number and title describing the proposal and the site
• the location of any district plan-listed heritage items, areas, buildings or recorded archaeological sites (if applicable)
• topographical/contour information
• location of buildings
• total site coverage of existing buildings
• hazardous areas, for example fill or contamination
• notable features, for example high voltage power lines, rivers, vegetation.

The plan must show:

• location of boundaries
• a north point that is accurately orientated
• a unique plan number and title describing the proposal and the site
• location of proposed buildings/alterations
• design of earthworks and final levels/contours of the site
• proposed vehicle access, manoeuvring and parking areas
• landscaping (where applicable)
• total site coverage of proposed buildings
• hazardous areas, for example fill or contamination
• notable features, for example high voltage power lines, rivers, vegetation.

The plan must show:

• a north point that is accurately orientated
• a unique plan number and title describing the proposal and the site
• the existing and proposed size of all new allotments (except in the case of a subdivision that will be created by the grant of a cross lease, company lease or by the deposit of a unit plan)
• the street reserve proposed to be set aside as new road, including all areas of public open space intended for recreational purposes – including sufficient drawings to show this
• formation widths and grades of proposed roads and rights-of-way, parking bays, bus stops, speed control devices and pedestrian walkways
• the location of proposed public transport stops and pedestrian walkways, and walking distances to public transport stops
• proposed easements and covenant areas.

A floor plan is a drawing that shows how your building fits together – for example, the relationship between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of the structure.

If you're doing additions and alterations, you'll need to provide an existing floor plan and your proposed floor plan.

Each plan must show:

• a north point that is accurately orientated
• a unique plan number and title describing the proposal and the site
• the internal floor layout.

The elevation plans show what the building will look like from the outside. Elevation plans must show:

• a unique plan number and title describing the proposal and the site
• clear labelling of each elevation
• building recession planes and District Plan height limits
• window location and cladding details.

A cross section plan shows differences in height and can be useful to illustrate earthworks, building recession plane and height intrusions. It must show:

• a unique plan number and title describing the proposal and the site
• clear labelling of each cross section
• location of boundaries
• location and height of proposed retaining walls.

The assessment should compare the effects of shading on adjoining properties from the proposed development with the effects of shading from the existing environment (including existing shading from buildings and topography).

You'll need to reflect the findings of the shading assessment in your Assessment of Environmental Effects, including qualitative assessment of shading effects ("less than minor", "minor", "more than minor"). Give particular consideration to shading effects on living areas and outdoor recreation areas.

As a minimum, your shading assessment should:

• show shading effects at various times of the day (preferably hourly) during winter and summer solstice, and spring/autumn equinox
• clearly describe any additional shading effects on nearby properties by clearly highlighting (using hatching or colour differentiation) the affected area and identifying its use (for example, bedroom, living room, driveway, deck)
• provide an outline of property boundaries and any affected buildings or outdoor recreation areas on affected properties – one solution may be to overlay an aerial photo
• identify the location of affected windows or decks on affected properties where possible
• clearly identify the duration of the effect in terms of time per day, and days affected per year.

Note: Your agent may advise that a permitted baseline (i.e. a building that could be constructed without the need for a resource consent) would be helpful to show in the shading assessment.

The design statement needs to set out the design principles of your development proposal. It must:

• demonstrate how you’ve considered the objectives and guidelines
• describe the significant features of the development site
• outline the relevant history of the site
• explain how the proposal strengthens or enhances the existing form and character of the city
• include a description of how the development is seen in the context of the wider city and how it links into that context – if the development is of a size or in a location with city-wide significance
• describe how the development integrates into its surroundings and the contribution that it makes to the overall quality of the environment.

The report must include:

• details of the parking to be provided on the site, and its use (whether it is intended for staff or customers)
• site access
• provision for servicing
• internal traffic circulation to the extent that it is relevant to the movement of vehicular traffic to and from the site
• what effect the extra traffic will have on the surrounding street network 
  transportation impact assessments
• when consent is required in the Pipitea Precinct, the effect that the extra traffic will have on the road network and, in particular, Thorndon, Waterloo and Aotea quays and the motorway.

The people responsible for the original design are the mostly likely to be able to give you the information you need to demonstrate compliance. If you can’t contact the original designer, contact another qualified professional such as a:

• chartered professional engineer
• registered architect
• licenced building practitioner
• certifying plumber or drainlayer.

Depending on which part of the Building Code needs to be addressed, you may need separate reports from different professionals. You'll need to get each professional to fill out the form.

You also need to demonstrate that the level of compliance with the other Building Code provisions is no worse than before you applied to subdivide the building.

If you need advice, you can also email Building Compliance and Consents: bcc@wcc.govt.nz

As there was no Building Code before 1992, buildings built before then need a different assessment. We recommend asking a qualified person to report how the building complies with section 116A. The report could include a gap analysis between what today’s Building Code requires for the subdivided building and what’s provided in the existing building.