PRM SEM 01 - 03. Planning Controls Flashcards
Checking the District/City Plan
Most plans are made up of Maps (which you use to locate your site) and Text (in which
controls such as zones and rules are explained). There are also Appendices and
Schedules which may also contain crucial information.
When we get a new job we check the District Plan to see the zoning of our site.
We also check if the use / activity is permitted, controlled or discretionary (see next page) on
that site / in that zone.
We then check the Rules to see if your building proposal fits bulk and location requirements
such as size, height, area, parking spaces etc.
Remember that compliance involves not just the building location and dimensions but the
use or activity, noise, odours, traffic, parking, light, vibration etc….
Resource Consent?
Generally, if your proposal is permitted and complies with the rules you don’t need
Resource Consent.
You can discuss your plans with a Planner at the Council to double check. You can also
get a Certificate of Compliance that confirms your proposal is ok.
If your plans don’t comply you will probably require a Resource Consent application. This
usually involves the written consent of affected parties, usually adjacent neighbours,
For large or complex projects we often employ a planning consultant to analyse the site
and issues or to prepare our Resource Consent application including the very important
Assessment of Environmental Effects (discussed in next lecture).
Auckland City Zones
STUDY NEW ZONES!!!
Plan sites are usually zoned Residential, Rural, Business or Special
Purpose (schools, hospitals etc).
The zoning maps also show additional limitations on your site such as land designated
for road widening, archaeological or geological features, flood plains, landfill or
contamination, specifically protected trees or buildings, coastal management areas, view
protection height limitations (to protect views of volcanoes) etc. These are often
numbered on the maps with more information in the Appendices to Maps.
Use / Activity:
Your proposed use or activity (eg residential, restaurant, carpark, office) in each zone
may be Permitted, Controlled or Discretionary under the Plan:
Permitted - don’t need Resource Consent.
Controlled - need RC, Council can’t decline it but can impose Conditions.
Discretionary, Restricted and Non-complying - need RC, Council can approve or decline
or impose conditions)
Each zone has different planning rules which limit size, density or number of buildings
(possibility of cross-lease or subdivision), site coverage, height etc. These are found in
the Text.
Zone: Special Purpose
Generally large sites such as schools, hospitals etc are zoned Special Purpose and have
a plan for development called a Concept Plan, agreed by the institution and Council. This
should broadly meet the objectives of the Council’s Plan but may not be subject to the
same rules, so projects may not need Resource Consent.
(Sometimes an amalgamation of sites for a housing development or similar in another
zone can also involve a Concept Plan approach rather than following specific rules).
Zone: Residential
Generally in these zones you are doing a house or house alteration, so it is obviously a
permitted use.
Some Councils now have qualitative controls e.g. Auckland City Residential One zone:
additions must blend in with villas and Council design guidelines aimed at protecting the
heritage character of areas.
Residential Controls vary with zone:
Note exceeding these rules usually requires the approval of affected neighbours and a
Resource Consent. If you want to go over maximum height your Resource Consent is
often publically notified and can get very complex and expensive.
Residential Controls Include
Density: Number of dwellings per property, controlled by area of site. “Studios” can be
sneaky ways of providing a sleep-out for teens or granny-flat that would otherwise count
as a separate dwelling.
Site coverage: The percentage of site your building can cover, often 25 – 50%. May
include pools and decks.
Yards: How close you can build to a boundary. Auckland requires a front yard, other
Councils also require side and rear yards.
Maximum height: How high you can build, often about 8m allowing two storeys and a
pitched roof. Can be measured from average ground level or actual (‘rolling’) ground
level.
Height is often critical: if you exceed the height your Resource Consent may be Publically
Notified: more in next lecture.
Height to Boundary/Building in Relation to Boundary: How high you can build in relation
to closeness to boundary, aimed at preserving sunlight to neighbours. Angle varies with
compass point so south control (eg 2m plus 35 degrees is much tighter than north, 2m
plus 55 degrees). Sometimes a gable or chimney may project through this. This is
usually the control that causes problems for designers!
Landscaped / Permeable Surface: A minimum amount of site that must be garden or
grass, also allows rainwater to soak away naturally. Often 40%.
Paved / Impermeable: A maximum amount of site allowed to be paved. Often 25%.
Living Court: An area providing outdoor living. Often 100m2, no part less than 3m wide,
to the east, north or west of the living / dining areas.
Service Court: A small yard for clothes line and rubbish bins.
Parking: Usually two cars, capable of turning on site and driving out frontwards.
Trees: May be specifically protected or scheduled ( eg a very large or rare tree
specifically noted on your site) or much more commonly, generally protected: eg any
native tree of 6m high or any tree over 8m high…though this rule changed recently.
Other issues: Councils are also concerned with earthworks (eg how much earth is
removed for basements or terraces), floodplains (which could require a report and your
building to be raised higher), contamination or stability of existing land (which could
require a geotechnical report and more expensive foundations), stormwater separation
(new drainage removing stormwater from sewers) etc. Coastal sites are also subject to
more stringent controls.
Zone: Business
Generally the Controls vary with zone:
Intensity: Limits the amount of floor area on your site, usually expressed as FAR (Floor
Area Ratio). Often 2:1 (2m2 of floor for every one 1m2 of site meaning you can cover
your site with a two storey building or half your site with a four storey building etc as long
as you comply with the other rules. Carparks in basements and rooftop terraces may not
count as floor area.
Frontage Controls: Depending on zone may be required to have a verandah, a certain
percentage of clear glazing or a certain amount of landscaping.
Maximum height: How high you can build, varies widely with zone allowing buildings from
two to several storeys.
Buildings adjacent to Residential Zones: Tricky. Often have a height to boundary control
(see Residential) and a landscaped side or rear yard to preserve sunlight and act as a
buffer between business activities and residential.
Parking: Varies widely with zone and activity, often the biggest headache in a
commercial development! If no room on your site you can lease carparks nearby and
sometimes Council accepts stacked parking as at Ironbank in K Road.
Bonuses: Sometimes providing a through-site-link for pedestrians or other civic gesture
can gain you extra floor area. This is more common in the Central Area / CBD (Central
Business District).
Signage: Size, height and location are controlled, see the Bylaws, talk to a planner.
Other issues: Councils are often very concerned with earthworks (eg how much earth is
removed for carparking basements), noise and odour produced by the activity, traffic
produced by the activity, loading and unloading delivery vehicles, rubbish storage and
disposal, and even lighting and vibration!
Noise, parking and traffic are usually the controls that cause problems for designers!
Mixed Use
Mixed Use is a newish zone that aims to mix business and residential such as shops,
offices and apartments in locations close to town centres and transport routes.
Some parts of town eg upper Symonds Street have special character areas with design
guidelines you have to follow.
Zone H13
