Have you had your site checked for past or present hazardous activities?
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Love it or hate it, the RMA has shaped the development of New Zealand over the past 30 years.
Game changers do not come along often, however the Government recently released a Bill that will change how land development occurs across New Zealand.
At some point in your life you may find yourself inheriting land from a recently passed loved one or from a distant relative.
Selwyn District has long been known as one of New Zealand’s most rapidly growing districts, and this does not appear to be changing.
Historically, New Zealand has seen the extensive loss of indigenous biodiversity associated with original land development practices to create farmland. However there is an increasing trend, and direction through legislation, to protect and enhance biodiversity values on farms.
There are five species of lizard consisting of either skinks and geckos present on Banks Peninsula and in the Canterbury High Country; four species in particular are either declining or nationally vulnerable, namely the Spotted Skink, Jewelled Gecko, Canterbury Gecko and Common Skink.
Just because you have always been allowed to do something does not mean you will not need a resource consent for that activity in the future. Activities to the use of the coastal environment, a discharge to land, air or water, a water take for irrigation, or the use of the bed of a river may require future consent if a Regional or Unitary Council change the rules.
Acquiring a resource consent can involve several different professionals, including planners, surveyors, lawyers, landscape architects, engineers, and ecologists. So how does planning differ from other professions and when should you engage one?
With Further Submissions to the Selwyn District Plan due to open soon, it’s interesting to consider where our planning rules come from. The district plan is full of rules that determine building setback distance from neighbours, roads, reserves and waterways. It sets out the maximum height of buildings, the maximum amount of site covered with buildings and the minimum allotment area for the subdivision. All of these rules have fixed and definite limits in terms of specific meters or square meters.