Go ahead
Your heads up to Building and Planning
November 2013
Building consent processing times
Council figures show that the average time for granting a building consent for a house in October was 26 working
days. This was for complete applications which could be accepted for processing because no further information was
required.
The figures for October also show that where the Council suspended processing, the average number of processing
days for the same type of consent extended to 47 working days. Application processing is suspended when the
Council has to ask the applicant for more information. Processing cannot start again until an applicant has replied
with all the information required.
Complex projects requiring more planning and detail to ensure safety and compliance with the building code took
longer to process. A building consent for a new commercial building took an average of 45 working days where no
further information was required, but averaged an additional 21 working days (total: 69 working days) when more
information was requested and later supplied by the applicant.
Crown Manager Doug Martin says that the figures for one month do not show a trend but it is important that the public
are given an indication of how long their building consent might take.
“It has been the question on everyone’s lips. These figures show what the Council is achieving at a time when it
is experiencing a tsunami of demand for building consents. I think we will see delays for some time yet but in the
New Year these figures will start to get better. From there customers will see a gradual but positive trend for their
applications.”
Consent type
Commercial/industrial alterations &
additions
Average number of days
excluding suspension of time*
October 2013
Average number of days including
suspension of time* October 2013
Average is 35 working days
Average is 101 working days
(more information requested from
applicant - waiting for a reply)
Commercial/industrial new building
Average is 45 working days
Average is 69 working days
Commercial accessory building
Average is 52 working days
Average is 57 working days
Marquees and other temporary structures
Average is 21 working days
Average is 23 working days
Residential accessory building (habitable)
e.g. sleep out or family flat
Average is 29 working days
Average is 55 working days
Residential accessory building (nonhabitable) e.g. garage
Average is 27 working days
Average is 40 working days
Residential demolition
Average is 2 working days
Average is 4 working days
Residential house (new build or rebuild)
Average is 26 working days
Average is 47 working days
Residential external alterations and
additions
Average is 34 working days
Average is 59 working days
Residential internal alterations only
Average is 38 working days
Average is 44 working days
Residential multi-unit dwelling
Average is 34 working days
Average is 58 working days
Residential plumbing and drainage
Average is 20 working days
Average is 23 working days
Residential swimming/spa pool
Average is 24 working days
Average is 32 working days
Solar water heater
Average is 31 working days
Average is 33 working days
Solid fuel burner
Average is 3 working days
Average is 8 working days
Amendment
Average is 16 working days
Average is 35 working days
* Application processing is suspended when the Council has to ask the applicant for more information. Processing
cannot start again until an applicant has replied with all the information required.
Canadian Building Inspector ready for rebuild
Canadian Building Inspector Ron Dickinson arrived in Christchurch recently, and knows just how
similar Canadian and New Zealand building codes and building conditions really are.
Hailing from Delta, British Columbia which forms part of Metro Vancouver, Ron has had a career in various parts
of Canada as a Building Official – the equivalent of our Building Inspector – for two-and-a-half decades. He is
also the current Chairman of the Alliance of Canadian Building Officials Associations.
Ron says that Delta and Christchurch have a lot in common around building consents.
“It hasn’t happened yet but the probability of an earthquake in my part of the world is actually greater than here.
That means that Canadian Building Officials understand about earthquake preparedness in buildings.
“In the last year Canada has adopted a provision which requires property owners to put in bracing to inhibit
lateral movement. The technicalities might be slightly different but principles and materials are very much the
same.”
He says Delta and Vancouver also have similarities in climate, flooding, and soil conditions to Christchurch.
“Like Christchurch, Delta has swampy ground to consider – it’s built on the biggest bog in North America. The only
thing I have never had to deal with is live volcanoes.”
He says there is not that much difference either when it comes to the layout of the New Zealand Building Code
and standards.
“To load myself into this job and to understand the finer details won’t take long. There’s a good support network
here at the Council.
“One thing that won’t change, whether I’m here or in Canada, is that my objective is to work with the customer.
There is more than one way to get it right, and my job is to figure out how the customer got it right, not wrong.”
Ron will be out in the field soon once he has completed an induction period.
Kelvin Newman (right) from the Building
Control Functions team put the word out to
the Alliance of Canadian Building Officials
Associations; Canadian Building Official
Ron Dickinson (left) soon got in touch.
Christchurch City Council has received
24 expressions of interest from Canadian
Building Officials.
Training external Building Consent Authorities and external
contractors
Penny Austin (left)
and Fleur Bridger are
part of the training
team who currently
move around the
country helping
to bring external
organisations up
to speed on the
Council’s building
consent systems.
A Senior Building Control Officer is also part of the
training programme to talk through Christchurch rebuild
issues such as TC land, flooding and Port Hills. Penny
has been busy coordinating the training following a
huge response from around the country.
A major Building Consents Action Plan strategy is to
contract out processing to external Building Consent
Authorities and external contractors. The target is to
contract out between 150-200 building consents per
week.
Fleur says, “ When we’ve met with them it’s clear that
they all want to put something of themselves into the
rebuild – they feel like they’re making a difference.”
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at
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Up
There are currently 19 expressions of
interest from other Building Consent
Authorities and private providers:
• seven are already providing services
• six contracts are signed with training
pending
• two are in contract negotiations
• two are seeking their council approval
to proceed
Recruitment update – success at overseas recruitment expos
The Council is working
on a short list from
140 international
applications for 20
Building Control
Function positions
following an overseas
recruitment drive.
Recruitment Adviser Hayley Parkin says that a goal for
Building Control Functions was to attract applications
from highly skilled people to complement the
recruitment drive in New Zealand.
A small team of Council staff attended the
Opportunities Overseas Expos in London and Dublin
earlier this month where the Building Control Function
positions were promoted alongside other Council career
opportunities.
“In London and Dublin we were looking for those who
had a qualification with the Royal Institute of Chartered
Surveyors as they essentially have skills equivalent
to our Building Control Officers. It was also important
that they were genuinely interested in coming to
Christchurch to help out with the rebuild.
Advertisements were also placed with the Society of
Chartered Surveyors Ireland and Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors.
Meanwhile, Senior Adviser to the Crown Manager
Andrew Minturn says that while the Council is actively
recruiting for the Building Control team across New
Zealand, “We don’t want to do this at the expense
of other Building Consent Authorities and external
contractors, particularly our neighbours. After all
we’re already asking many of them for help to process
building consents on behalf of Christchurch”.
Infrastructure Rebuild Leader Will Doughty,
who relocated from Britain to New Zealand in
2006 and HR Recruitment Adviser Hayley Parkin
were interviewed by Sky News Sunrise while
they were at an international recruitment expo
in London this month. Watch the interview at
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/video/rebuildingchristchurch-053653852.html
Building inspections important priority
The Building Consents Action Plan for Christchurch City Council includes a
strong focus on introducing measures to alleviate pressure on inspection
services. Crown Manager Doug Martin says current delays for inspection
bookings reflect forecasted trends and Council is doing all it can on the issue.
“I have said publicly for some time that things will get a bit worse before they get better
and this is the case with current delays for inspections. We’ve also got the effect of the
yearly Christmas rush of bookings happening at the moment.
“Just as with delays in processing consents there is no single solution or quick fix for
delays in inspection services. It will take a package of interventions under the Building
Consent Action Plan to have an effect.
“I recognise that delays in inspections can have a serious impact on building projects. Council has pulled out all
the stops in this area. I expect our customers will begin to see some improvements in the New Year.”
Actions include:
--
An aggressive international and country-wide recruiting campaign underway for 20 Building Inspectors.
--
Recruitment for Building Consent Officers also includes taking on board some multi-skilled employees who
can transfer to inspection work during periods of peak demand.
--
Inspection services will continue over Christmas and the New Year.
--
The Crown Manager’s team is also proactively seeking assistance from other Councils to borrow their
inspectors during periods where they are experiencing lower demand.
p
To ip
T
Recognise the unprecedented demand and plan, where possible, to “spread the load” during
these peak times. This will help the Council’s inspection team and all of our customers deal
with the demand for the service.
New home for
Rebuild Central
Rebuild Central has moved to new premises at 663 Colombo
Street (on the Lichfield Street corner) and continues to
offer free specialist advisory services for developers and
businesses relocating in the CBD.
Disclaimer: The preparation and provision of the information in this newsletter has been made in good faith from a number of sources that
are believed to be reliable. All due care has been taken to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date. The Christchurch City
Council shall not be liable for any errors and omissions, nor for any direct or indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss or damage
arising out of or in connection with the use of this newsletter or the information contained within it.
Revisions: Please be aware that current practice and fees do change and the content of this and previous newsletters may become dated or
superseded over time.
Customer Services: Civic Offices, 53 Hereford Street, Christchurch, 8011 PO Box 73013, Christchurch, 8154
Phone: 03 941 8999, Facsimile: 03 941 8696
Email: [email protected]
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