By Anna Bensemann | Nov 12, 2020
There is a frustrating moment when building or extending your house becomes held up by Council for building consent because they want to know if your septic tank system meets the current day standards. Frustration continues when it becomes apparent that your current system is not sufficient to meet the standards, simply because you are adding another bedroom or a media room that the council is now calling a bedroom. The boiling point really sets in when you realise the costs of upgrading your system to meet the necessary standards.
When extending a dwelling in the rural environment and you don’t have access to council sewer, it’s important to be aware of the potential issues you are uncovering. Many septic systems were installed during a time when resource consents to discharge to land were not required, and often these systems have never been managed since, except to perhaps get the tank emptied when it gets a bit stinky.
However, wastewater systems include a tank system of some type, and a discharge disposal field where the liquid overflow from the tank drains. New Zealand standards require the system, including the discharge area, meets the most current standards, and these standards calculate how big your system needs to be based on the number of bedrooms or potential bedrooms a dwelling has.
Hang on a minute – just because you are increasing the number of bedrooms doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have more people using the system, right? This may be correct, but council are required to look at the overall potential use of the property, so if you sold tomorrow and a new person used the system, how many people could possibly live there?
While this maximum occupancy approach seems a little unfair for you, this is a public health matter because if the system fails and effluent ends up in drinking water, we have a recipe for disaster. At worst it could mean death for vulnerable young or old, and at best it would mean you could feel very ill and not know why.
So when you are extending your dwelling to add more room for when the kids come home or grandkids come to visit, be aware that you will be required to consider your septic tank system and determine if it is sufficiently sized, or that you may need to upgrade it. This carries a cost component that you will have to budget for. For the sake of ensuring quality drinking water supply, this really is a small price to pay.
Articles you might be interested in
- The importance of knowing your boundaries
- Highly Productive Soils – Big Picture Thinking vs Private Landowners Needs
- Who Pays for Infrastructure in Greenfield Land Development?
- How might Development Contributions affect you?
- Boundary disputes – What are they and how can you resolve them?
- Commercial Activity in a Rural Zone – What’s the Harm?
- The dream of subdividing your land
- Minimum car parking requirements to be chopped
- Times' up on the RMA
- Housing Intensification – Not for Everyone Says CCC
- Hazardous activities, land contamination and resource consent applications
- What does a professional planner do?
- Spotlight on District Plan Provisions
- But that’s the way we have always done it!
- Fundamental Culture Shift in New Zealand Planning Legislation.
- Indigenous Biodiversity: what does it mean for a farmer?
- What to do when you inherit land
- Who Shapes our Planning Rules?
- Highly Productive Soils – Big Picture Thinking vs Private Landowners Needs
- Managing Cultural Heritage Sites
- Proposed Selwyn District Plan Update
- A Practical Guide for District Plan Reviews
- Planning Rules can Affect Property Value
- The impact of consent notices when purchasing land
- Rural Allotment Sizes set to Double
- Minimum Car Parking Requirements to be Chopped
- Negotiating with Neighbours Under the RMA
- State highways, noise and reverse sensitivity: what’s the buzz?
- Selwyn District Council Changes Urban Allotment Sizes
- Proposed Selwyn District Plan - What next?
- Planning land use to be resilient to natural hazards
- How lizards might affect your new development
- Game changers for housing under the RMA
- RMA changes are coming, are you ready?
- Housing Growth continues in Selwyn with Legislative Support
- A recent Baseline Group project was recognised at the 2022 Canterbury Architecture Awards
- Rural allotment sizes set to double in West Selwyn
- Have your say on Development Projects
- Cross lease titles - an overview
- Good District Plan provisions save time and money
- Wild Weather and Resource Consent Requirements
- Risks to farmland in the planning framework
- Buildings under exemptions may still need resource consent
- Outstanding Natural Features and Landscapes - effect on farming
- Crunch Time For New Freshwater Legislation
- Change isn't coming, it's here!
- The Role of Planning in the Climate Change - Discussion for Agriculture
- Is the RMA really the problem?
- Is it a Wetland or Not?
- District Plan in Selwyn – How will it Affect You?