Adding a new cabin, shed or carport to your property just got easier. The government has announced that from late August many of these projects will no longer require Building Consent.
However, before you pull out the power tools, its a smart idea to make sure your project qualifies for the exemption. For example, the exemption doesn’t cover sleepouts that have kitchen or bathroom facilities.
You’ll also want to be sure that the build will comply with planning regulations. Be wary of advertisements that claim “no consent needed”. While you may not need a building consent, some projects will still need a resource consent.
Undertaking building work without the necessary resource consent can result in hefty fines and legal action. Before you begin, make sure your building project is permitted or consented so you can avoid any nasty surprises from upset neighbours and council enforcement officers.
The kinds of things that may trigger the need for a resource consent for a new sleep-out, shed or carport includes:
- Site coverage
- Building height
- Setback from boundaries (this may be dependent on a number of factors, such as the purpose of your building, whether the boundary adjoins a neighbour, road, or rail corridor, and any windows or balconies that face the boundary)
- Recession plane (affecting your neighbour’s light or view, and
- Planning overlays in specific areas which have additional standards, i.e. minimum floor levels in flood areas, or extra noise insulation required in residential buildings near airports or main roads.
Exactly what standards apply will depend on your council’s district or regional plans, as well as the specific location of your site. Your Council should be able to give you guidance if you call or email, and ask to speak to their duty planner.
If you need further advice on your project then contact Avanzar’s team of experienced planners. We can prepare a resource consent application should you need one, so you can get the power tools fired up to create the extra space you need.