Nelson City Council blog

Building Nelson Newsletter December 2011

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:32:53 +1300

Council opening hours over the festive period

The silly season is nearly upon us again. Council shuts down on Friday 23 December at 3pm and re-opens on Wednesday 4 January at 8.30am. No Building Consents applications will be accepted after 2pm on Friday 23 December and building inspections will finish Friday 23 at 11.15am and recommence Wednesday 4 January 2012. Also please be aware that the Building Act allows a processing holiday from the 20^th December until 10^th January. Merry Christmas.

NCC Building Consents Update July – Sept 2011

The number and value of building consents submitted over the past 3 months decreased while processing times shortened considerably over the same period last year.

Building Consent Numbers

Building Category Trends	1 July – 30 September 2010 Number of Consents	1 July – 30 September 2011 Number of Consents	Variance Year to Year
New House	63	44	-30%
Altered Dwelling and Minor works	181	96	-50%
New Commercial	15	12	-20%
Altered Commercial	21	11	-50%
Wood-burners	57	65	+14%
Total	337	228	32%
Value works $	30,898,670	24,523,258	-20%

Value of Works

Building Category Trends	1 July – 30 September 2010 Value $	1 July – 30 September 2011 Value $	Variance $ Year to Year
New Houses	18,331,479	12,936,526	-30%
Altered Dwelling and Minor works	4,972,159	3,344,508 216,126 (minor)	-30%
New Commercial	4,431,765	642,500	-85%
Altered Commercial	2,635,211	7,103,300	+270%
Wood-burners	216,556	280,298	+130%
Value works $	30,898,670	24,523,258	-20%

Building Consent Authority Processing Time Statistics to end September 2011

Time period	Total number granted	Total value of works $	% completed within 20 working days	Average process time (days)
1 July – 30 September 2010	337	30,898,670	90	12
1 July – 30 September 2011	228	24,523,258	95	9

New Fees and Charges

From April 4 2011, Nelson City Council building units new fees and charges came into effect.

These are available in hard copy at the customer service center or online at

http://www.nelsoncitycouncil.co.nz/building-consent-fees/

Some of the main changes are;

The administration fees which were previously charged separately for processing and inspections are now charged in one fee. There has been no increase in the amount charged.
A Quality Assurance Levy has been introduced at the same level as the BRANZ levy (over $20,000, $1.00 per $1,000.00).
No refunds on prepaid consents (except proprietary garages by discretion).
CCC applications for Building Consents granted prior to January 2009 will be charged a $200.00 fee.

Schedule of Charges	Fixed fee (GST incl)
Pre-lodgement meetings - Commercial Consents (residential optional)	$50.00 per 1/2hr
Schedule 1 - Exempt Building Works advice / meeting. Payable at NCC Customer Centre after appointment.	$25.00 per 1/2hr appointment
Technical advice /booked meeting with Duty Building Officer (No Building consent submitted). Payable at NCC Customer Centre after appointment.	No fee up to 15 min appointment
	$50.00 per ½ hour thereafter

Note: General meetings with the Duty Building officer (not relating to a building consent) will be charged after the first 15 minutes at $50.00 per ½ hour. The Duty Building Officer fees (in bold above) are payable at the conclusion of the appointment and payment must be made at that time in the Customer Centre.

Staff Changes

We have had a number of changes to the building unit here at Nelson City Council.

David Curl has moved on to TDC and has been replaced with Paul Farrar who has shifted from Rotorua District Council. His military background will be invaluable.

Nick Watson has moved to Brisbane to pursue a career in the police force so for BWOF information and compliance schedule enquiries contact Simon Childs who has taken over this role. We also have a new BCO Linda Chi, replacing Roland Basobas who has moved on to Christchurch City Council.

On the administration side of things, Janice Benson is on maternity leave and is being covered by Chelsea Cannell, and we have a new employee Angela Perry.

And in a new role of Pool Compliance Officer Peter Wilcox has joined us…read on.

Just when you thought was safe to get back in the water…..Our Pool Compliance Officer Speaks

Hi, as the latest member of the Building Unit I am pleased to be joining the Enforcement Team with the reference of “Pool Compliance”. Originally from the UK, I worked in structural fire safety compliance and enforcement for over 20 years.

Although I have now lived in this area for many years, my work has taken me all over the South Island, training amongst others NZ Police and that training theme will continue in my new role as Council is keen to ensure public safety, not just by inspection and enforcement but also by public education.

Peter Wilcox, Pool Compliance Officer.

NZS 3604:2011

The long awaited NZS 3604:2011 has arrived and is in effect and on 1^st Feb will be supersede the 1999 version on 1 Feb 2012. Copies are available from New Zealand Standards and there are a large number of significant changes detailed in the following link.

NZS 3604:2011 Timber-framed buildings Standard

NZ Fire Services Commission (DRU) Changes

From April 1 2011, building consents where we are required to send a copy to NZFS Design Review Unit (DRU) will need to be submitted in both hard copy (for NCC processing) and electronic form (for the DRU). Under the new NZFS this electronic information will be available to the fire service instantly in the event of a fire. Note that this will only affect commercial, multiunit residential and public buildings, not residential. The electronic copy can be provided on a disc or memory stick, or if the file is small enough, via email.

Erosion Controls

Erosion and sediment control (E&SC) is a requirement under the Nelson City Council Resource Management Plan for work sites involving land disturbance. The E&SC requirements are shown in section 9 of the Nelson City Council Land Development Manual.

For smaller sites (less than 3000m²) it is not usually necessary to provide a formal erosion and sediment control plan for approval however it is a requirement that the building consent plans submitted for approval include what measures will be implemented to provide E&SC.

We will be putting together a pamphlet (‘Erosion and Sediment Control for Small Sites’) which will depict what types of control should be provided on building sites and this can also be used by designers who will need to show these works on building consent applications.When this pamphlet is completed we will make copies available.

Holiday Building Projects

Just a quick reminder for all those involved in summer building projects, check that a building consent is not required before going ahead. Copies of Schedule 1 to the Building Act are available in the NCC Customer Service Centre or online at the DBH website.

The following link provides additional guidance to the interpretation of the schedule.

http://www.dbh.govt.nz/UserFiles/File/Publications/Building/Guidance-information/pdf/dbh-guide-for-building-work-consent-not-required.pdf

If you need any further clarification, please contact the Duty Building Officer.

Earthquake Strengthening My Building – Seminar

Opus International Consultants Ltd are busy arranging a seminar on 23 November, primarily for building owners, but it will also be invaluable for building managers or those involved in upgrading, valuing or insuring buildings. For further details or to register call Debbie Vincent on +64 3 546 3688 or you can email.

Feedback

If you have feedback on Building Nelson please contact: Tracy Quinton-Boundy on +64 3 546 0248.

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Nelson City Council contact details

Civic House
110 Trafalgar Street
PO Box 645 Nelson 7040
Phone: +64 3 546 0200
Fax: +64 3 546 0239
Website www.nelsoncitycouncil.co.nz

[1183220]

December 2010 Building Nelson Newsletter

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:12:23 +1300

December 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

As we draw closer to the end of the year we would like to take this opportunity to reflect on a busy and highly productive 2010. Highlights for the year have included the opening of the new Customer Centre which has resulted in very positive feedback from our customers and we aim to build on this success.

In tandem with the opening of the Customer Centre new roles were developed to provide a Duty Officer and Duty Inspector roles to provide technical back up for the Customer Centre and a contact point for building related enquiries.

The Building Salon which started earlier this year has been a huge success and is helping to forge closer working relationships within the building industry. It has also been a successful year for reducing timeframes for issuing Building Consents and Code Compliance Certificates and our focus is to keep improving in the New Year.

We have also built stronger relationships with our customers throughout the year and we acknowledge it has been a time of change and uncertainty. We appreciate and encourage a continuing partnership next year.

Council Opening Hours over the festive period

Council shuts down on Friday 24 December at 3pm and re-opens on Wednesday 5 January at 8.30am. No Building Consents applications will be accepted after 2pm on Friday 24 December.

Statutory time frame clock

The clock stops on Monday 20 December and restarts on the Monday 10 January 2011.

Duty Inspector over Christmas and New Year

The duty inspector this year will be Gary Stevens who will be on call for residential inspections only. To contact Gary over the Christmas holidays call this number: 027 246 0663.

Civic House office refit

Following on from NCC’s staff reorganisation that took effect on 1 November, contractors are busy doing the physical work of shifting partition walls to accommodate new teams and creating offices from previous open space. We have made use of the Building Act provision to exempt the work from requiring a building consent (Schedule 1(k)). Rest assured that we have put ourselves through the appropriate process to make sure drawings are updated, alarm systems and fire egress are upgraded and health and safety requirements are satisfied. We have been able to achieve this because the Building Unit and Network Services have worked collaboratively to control the work as it progresses and satisfy our legal obligations.

In the new year (we are aiming for February) we will have a process for you to either notify us of work you are doing that is exempt from requiring a building consent or apply for work to be exempt under Schedule 1, item (k). The Department of Building & Housing is also releasing the changes to the BA2004, Schedule 1 on December 23rd 2010. With this in mind we will update you in early February regarding these changes and the new process for applications under Schedule 1(k).

NZ Building Code Schedule 1

(k) any other building work in respect of which the territorial authority (or, as the case requires, the regional authority) considers that a building consent is not necessary for the purposes of this Act because that building work—
(i) is unlikely to be carried out otherwise than in accordance with the building code; or
(ii) if carried out otherwise than in accordance with the building code, is unlikely to endanger people or any building, whether on the same land or on other property.

Regional map service shows off top of the South

A new, regional GIS (geographic information system) website made its debut in early December at www.TopoftheSouthMaps.co.nz.

Nelson City and Tasman District Councils are very proud of this collaborative new regional service that will enable users to find data from both Councils in one place with a seamless presentation that has been designed to be so user friendly, it won’t require training.

Differences in the Nelson GIS service

We want to alert you to a few differences you may notice between the new site and the old one.

First, the new site is super fast. You’re going to be pleasantly surprised.

Second, you’ll find the same Nelson information on property, recreation and services such as property reports, reserves, water, wastewater and stormwater pipes, all of which is now available for the Tasman District as well. We’ve also added new information, such as walking and cycling tracks, dog exercise areas, bus routes, and even rubbish and recycling collection days.

Data that is available for download includes:

Property: Property boundaries and addresses.
Services: water, wastewater and stormwater pipes, drains and features such as manholes plus Benchmarks. NB The point features are currently only available for download and are not displayed on the map.
Tracks: walking and cycling routes, tramping and mountain biking tracks and four wheel drive roads.
Planning: Resource Management Planning Zones. NB The planning zones are only currently available for download and are not displayed on the map.

You can download it as:

ESRI Map service
Web map service
Web feature service
KML

Because the two Councils are combining data, some of it is not yet ready to publish and therefore cannot be viewed on the map or be downloaded. We will work toward making it available in the next phase of the project. Until then, the data is available from each Council’s GIS team.

If you have AutoCAD Map or 3D Civil, you can view the map services. If you have Google Earth you can use the KML link to open it and display the relevant data. If not, you can download a free copy of ArcGISExplorer to view the formats listed above, or email gis@topofthesouthmaps.co.nz to request the data in other formats.

Feedback

If you have feedback on Building Nelson please contact: Tracy Quinton-Boundy on 03 546 0248 or Dawn Rosie on 03 545 8839.

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Nelson City Council contact details

Civic House
110 Trafalgar Street

PO Box 645 Nelson 7040

Phone: +64 3 546 0200

Fax: +64 3 546 0239

Website www.nelsoncitycouncil.co.nz

[1028017]

October 2010 Building Nelson Newsletter

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:31:13 +1300

October 2010

Helping our neighbours

In response to the 7.1 earthquake that hit the Canterbury region on September 3rd, the Nelson City Council Building Unit responded by sending seven inspectors to the region to help with building damage assessment. The team was sent to Waimakariri District and Christchurch City Suburbs for rapid response assessments of damaged buildings in the worst hit areas. The collective teams of Council inspectors from outside the Canterbury region operated under the instruction of Civil Defence. The teams were required to assess whether the building was structurally sound for habitation to allow the occupants to remain in the building, deemed unsafe due to damage, or requiring demolition. The main focus was to try and keep people in their homes and reassure them they were safe.

There was a varied range of material and system failure however only those structural elements whose integrity had been compromised prompted the evacuation of the building.

Some areas of failure were:

Older homes with continuous concrete foundations that rotated and/or separated from the floor/wall structure and ground bearing was compromised.

New homes had foundation and slab failure due to ground failure/fracture.

In older homes the main structure of the building generally performed although many additions attached to the building failed by movement, cracking and or subsidence at junctions. Masonry veneers fell off buildings but the structure remained generally sound.

Sheets bracing systems appeared to withstand the quake and perform appropriately; however, damage to structures/bracing systems are likely to require assessment to determine continuing performance.

Unreinforced brick chimneys fell down and punched holes through ceilings / roofs.

Liquefaction moved buildings sideways, rotated foundations, compromised ground bearing, broke services (i.e. storm water and sewer) and severely damaged roads and footpaths. Huge amounts of liquefied sand/silt were discharged over properties in the Kaiapoi, Karakei Beach Bexley areas.

Earthquake Prone Building policy

Nelson City Council Earthquake Prone Building Policy – Status September 2010

The recent Earthquake in Canterbury is a timely reminder of Nelson City Councils Earthquake Prone Building Policy 2006.

All councils in New Zealand are required by the Building Act 2004 to have a policy on earthquake prone, dangerous and insanitary buildings. This policy is overseen by the councils Building Unit. The aim of this policy under the Building Act is to reduce the risks of earthquakes to people and to buildings. It does not necessarily eliminate the risk.

Assessments to date

The earthquake prone buildings register currently has over 240 entries and growing. Just because it’s on the list, however, does not mean its earthquake prone. It means council has considered it to decide whether it is covered by the policy or not, and if so, given it a priority.

To date only one building has been confirmed as earthquake prone by a detailed evaluation.

Six buildings and 11 bridges have been labelled potentially earthquake prone by IEP (initial evaluation reports) or similar evaluations and are awaiting either completion of building consent work already applied for or detailed evaluations.

Post Disaster & Crowd Buildings

Council intends to send out letters to owners of importance level 3 & 4 buildings (priority 1 & 2 under our EQB policy) before the end of the year, giving them 12 months to provide IEP reports.

Owners of large sites with multiple buildings to identify the importance level of each building in accordance with ASNZS1170.0. It is recommended that owners engage a structural engineer to assist and give them guidance.

IEP Reports

All IEP reports will be reviewed thoroughly by the Building Units structural engineer (contractor) overseeing this policy. If there is information missing or there does not appear to be reasonable grounds for the conclusions reached, further questions and information will be requested. Where there is disagreement on the result of an IEP, a detailed evaluation will be required.

A number of issues have arisen during implementation of the policy that require consideration;

Make sure you are using the current version of the NZSEE Guidelines and the IEP form (June 2006 including corrigendum #1)

Click to go to the current version NZSEE Guidelines and IEP Form

The first page of the IEP form is important; provide photos, sketch layout, summary of relevant features and information sources. The sketch or attached drawings should clearly identify which parts of the building(s) are being reported on and exclusions from the report.

Many buildings are a combination of additions built over the years. It is the owner’s choice as to whether such buildings are reported on as ‘one building’ or as a number of separate buildings.

Engineers advise is recommended to help make the decision.

Each ‘building’ for the purposes of earthquake evaluation needs to be structurally independent, however a number of such adjacent structural systems can be reported on as one, although it then needs to be considered that the lowest rating determines the fate of the whole.

The rationale or justification for the choice of F factor (IEP step 3 item 3.6) must be provided.

We do not have maps of NZS1170.5 soil classifications. Conservative estimates based on available local knowledge are to be made unless; you can provide specific subsurface information.

Some structures do not lend themselves to the IEP process. It is acceptable to provide an alternative simplified calculation in these cases. Guidelines Appendix 3B Attribute Score Method is available for assessing URM buildings.

EQB Policy Review

Click here to read the earthquake prone building policy guide

Click here to read the Technical Briefing on Implications of Canterbury Earthquake

Exempt works / Schedule 1

We have seen an increased demand recently for council to hold records of building work which is exempt from requiring a building consent.

From October 1st building work that does not require a building consent, can be lodged via Nelson City Councils customer centre and be held on the property file as a record of the exempt work being undertaken. Nelson City Council will make no assessment of the notification. A notification form must be completed and a fixed fee of $100 paid upon submission to Council. Notification forms are available from the customer centre and our website.

Useful building information web sites

The Department of Building and Housing (DBH) publication Codewords is available here

Read the latest DBH Building Control Updates here

The DBH Technical Reports are available here

The Nelson Building Industry Salon

The first Nelson Building Industry salon was held in June and since then a further two salons have taken place. The salon was originally a Nelson City Council initiative which has been received well by Industry stakeholders, Master Builders, Certified Builders, ADNZ and NZIA. Collectively the group has decided to share and host the meetings in the spirit of working together and showing unity.

Master Builders hosted the latest Salon at the Suburban Club which continued on with the success of open honest discussions. We thank all involved in making this a continued success.

GST Increases

Rather than raise all fees by 2.5% we have added two new charges and increased the re-inspection charge to $120. These are applicable from 1 October 2010.

Certificate of Acceptance process (BA 2004, sections 96-99a). COA Certificate $200 this reflects the BC Certificate fee. Click here to see building consent fees and charges

And now for some housekeeping

Building Consent Application Forms

There is a trend toward agent’s/first point of contact’s submitting incomplete application forms in so far as the owner details, in many recent cases this information consists of a name only. As previously stated in the last Build Nelson this leads to incorrect statutory documents being created eg. Building Consent, Code Compliance Certificates and debtor records.

The Council BCA will now reject these applications either at the counter or during the technical vett, which will potentially slow the process down. To avoid this please ensure the owner details are completed.

Application for CCC forms

Section 92 of the Building Act 2004 states that an owner must apply to a BCA for a CCC after all building work carried out under a building consent is complete. This is done using the application for Code Compliance form which NCC provides in the building consent pack.

We would really appreciate it if the owner or their agent could check that all the details on the Application for CCC form are correct and up to date before signing it. There can be a considerable period of time between the building consent being issued and NCC receiving an application for Code Compliance Certificate. During this time changes may have occurred such as the owner’s mailing address or the property being sold. These details are important as this is the information printed on the Code Compliance Certificate.

Building Unit statistics - September 2010

Monthly report of consents lodged and process times

Without amendments

Five consents went over time

Process results for consents lodged without amendments
Description	Amount
Total number processed:	122
Average processing days	9
Number completed on time	116
Percentage completed on time	95.08%

With amendments

Eight consents went over time

Process results for consents lodged with amendments
Description	Amount
Total number processed:	144
Average processing days	9
Number completed on time	136
Percentage completed on time	94.44%

Monthly report on Code Compliance Certificates

Process results for code compliance certificates
Description	Amount
Total number processed:	109
Average processing days:	3
Number completed within 20 days	107
Percentage completed within 20 days	98.17%

Feedback

Feedback by phone

If you have feedback on Building Nelson please contact: Tracy Quinton-Boundy on 03 546 0248 or Dawn Rosie on 03 545 8839.

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Building Nelson is a publication of the Nelson City Council.

Nelson City Council contact details

Civic House
110 Trafalgar Street

PO Box 645 Nelson 7040

Phone: +64 3 546 0200

Fax: +64 3 546 0239

Website www.nelsoncitycouncil.co.nz

[992860]

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Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:56:48 +1200

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June 2010 Building Nelson Newsletter

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:31:13 +1200

Booking a Duty Building Officer

A Duty Building Officer is available at the Customer Centre daily from 8.30am – 5pm. Appointment bookings can be made for the Duty Building Officer through the Customer Service Centre and is recommended to avoid waiting times when the officer is busy with other customers. A reminder also, that Pre-lodgement meetings for a Commercial consent must be booked through the Customer Centre to ensure an appropriate applications officer assists you.

Process for commercial building consents

In January we introduced a new process for commercial building consents which many of you are following. To familiarise yourself with this process please see process below. For those who do not understand the process you will be politely asked by the customer service officers to make an appointment. Commercial consent applications will not be accepted unless an appointment is made with the Duty Building Officer. To avoid disappointment please book ahead and have the necessary documents ready.

Step 1 - Pre-lodgement meetings

Pre-lodgement meetings for commercial projects and/or a change of use will be required a minimum of 3 weeks before the formal lodgement of the building consent with Duty Building Officer. The aim of this process is to make gaining a building consent more efficient by ensuring any foreseeable issues with the project are identified and discussed before submitting the documentation for consent.

Step 2 - Lodgement of Commercial Building Consents

All commercial building consents will require a booked appointment time with the Duty Building Officer. This will ensure a technical staff member from the Building Unit can carry out the initial pre-vet of documentation. We believe this will make the building project more efficient from start to finish. Please contact the Duty Building Officer on 546 0200 to make an appointment.

Commercial building consent applications

A new checklist and Building Consent application form has been developed and is now available online at the council website. Advice notes are also available for alterations (section 112, BA 2004) and change of use (section 114, BA 2004). These outline our expectations on how you should evaluate your project to allow for a smooth process when your Building Consent is lodged. Click here for all building consent forms and guides plus other useful information on the Earthquake Prone Policy and more about Compliance Schedules.

New Guidelines for providing Property Information

Guidelines have been developed to outline what information can be provided by Customer Service Officers and Duty Building Officers at Nelson City Council. These are outlined below.

What information a Customer Service Officer can provide:

Fees and Charges information.
Provide forms E.G. Resource Consent application form, submission form, Building Consent applications, PIM’s and LIM’s etc.
Provide information on statutory time frames.
Access to Publicly Notified Consents.
Provide information leaflets.
Provide Drainage Card information and Drainage As-Built plans.
Provide the NCS General Property Information Screen printout.
Provide non-technical information. FAQ’s etc.
Book appointments with the Duty Planner and or Duty Building Officers.
Take Resource and Building Consent (residential and pre – paid) applications
Take COA applications, Unauthorised Works Reports & Exempt building works applications
Receive Pim’s & Lim’s
Commercial Building Consent applications must be lodged with a Duty Building Officer.
Provide access to:
- Site files
- Building Consents
- Resource Consents
- Subdivision Consents
Copy information from a Site file or provide files electronically.

What a Duty Building Officer can provide

Information on what is required when applying for a Building Consent
Building Consent process and procedures.
Time Frames & statutory interpretation.
Help with interpreting further information requests.
Provide information on the Commercial Building Consent process and receive commercial applications.
Pre – application meetings, discussion about active consents (rfi’s)
Earthquake Prone Policy information.
Information on existing Building Consents.
Where to access the Building Code.

What Council cannot provide:

Advice on proposed developments.
Technical design advice and solutions.
Advice on whether a Consent application would be successful or not before an application is received and processed.
Advice on whether a Resource Consent would be notified or not before an application is received and processed.
Access to New Zealand Standards other than those held at the Library.
Access to Certificate of Title information and easements and covenants registered on the CT.
Advice on whether a property should be purchased or not.
Advice on whether works have been carried out without the appropriate consents.
Technical discussions on Exempt work. We recommend you contact an appropriately qualified and or experienced consultant for this advise (see below for Building Consultants)

Useful sources for building and property information

Where useful property information can be obtained

Council Website: Link to Building section of the Nelson City Council website
Planning Consultants advice on: Resource Management issues and Resource Consent applications and whether Resource Consent may be required.
Department of Building & Housing New Zealand website
Building Consultants advise on: Building Act requirements, Pre-purchase inspections, Building Consent applications, council site file checks, unauthorised building works and Certificate of Acceptance applications.
Surveyors, Engineers
Community Law Centre
Designers & Architects
Lawyer / Solicitor / Legal Executive
Real Estate Agents
Valuers
Internet

Where useful Building information can be obtained

Codewords http://dbh.govt.nz/codewords-index

Building Control Updates http://dbh.govt.nz/bc-update-index

Technical Reports http://dbh.govt.nz/technical-reports

Accessing Geo-tech reports held at Nelson City Council

If you need to access a geo-tech report held on file at Nelson City Council use this handy online geotech report request form. You should receive your report within two working days. For more information on geotech reports please email.

Fees and Charges

There have been some small changes to the Building Unit’s Fees & Charges schedule, mainly involving the pre-paid consents, building inspections, pre-lodgement meetings for commercial consent applications and meeting with the Duty Building Officers. Click for more information on the Building Unit changes to fees and charges.

Building Unit Statistics

Building consents situation

For the first quarter of this year the total value of works ($38,439,535) has remained constant with the last two quarters – the total value of works from June to December 2009 was $78,646,872. Compared to the same period last year ($23,250,172), the value of works has increased approximately 60%.

Statutory timeframes fell slightly in January and February due to staff absences and a significant increase in the number of residential consents submitted.

Building Consent Authority Statistics for three months ending 22 March comparing 2009 and 2010 results
Date range	Total number submitted	Total value $	% completed within 20 working days	Average processing days
Jan – March 2010	482	38,439,535	83	11
Jan – March 2009	276	23,250,172	80	11

The number of building consents for house alterations has increased approximately 100% over the past three months. Whereas, the number of consents for new houses remains the same as the previous six months. This is consistent with nationwide statistics for the housing sector. Commercial consents have decreased approximately 40% over the last three months.

Building Consent Authority Statistics for three months ending 22 March comparing 2009 and 2010 results
Date range	Total number submitted	New Houses	Alteration to Houses	Commercial New & Alterations
Jan – March 2010	365	56	255	22
Jan – March 2009	261	17	210	18

The Inaugural Nelson City Building Industry Salon

(A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, to increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation.)

It is a informal gathering to discuss the Building Act 2004, Building Regulations, Building Code and all relevant New Zealand Standards and how the mutually revered documents impact on us across the building industry.

It is a free and frank forum to foster an open relationship between the BCA and the design and building sector. It is not an opportunity to discuss particular building consents or pet projects, but an opportunity to keep up to date of changes and to pose questions about interpretations, processes and trends in the industry, particularly in the Nelson region.

It is hoped that the Building Industry in Nelson forges a collaborative approach to achieve a mutually agreed and desirable outcome. Something along the lines of “We all strive to ensure buildings in Nelson will be the safest, healthiest and comparably the best quality in New Zealand.”

Mark your calendar with time and place to be

17 June 2010, 4.30pm

Nelson City Council Chambers

Email David Curl with RSVP and Agenda Items by: 15 June 2010

There are some rules

Everyone has the right to an opinion and to express that opinion.
Attendees will strive to work towards the mutually agreed goal of the Salon.
An agenda will be provided to all invitees prior to the salon. Items are required to be lodged no later than 10 working days before the salon. Non agenda times may be discussed if time allows.

The first will be combined construction/design. We will ask for feedback analysis of the Salon and if it is felt it is better to separate the two to achieve then we will definitely do so. Also a decision will be made on whether neutral territory, rather than Council Chambers, is needed for subsequent Salons.

We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to improve the relationship and communication lines for the benefit of all participants.

New Staff

Marie Albertson, Consents Administrator

Hi All. My name is Marie Albertson and I have recently become a permanent member of the ‘super’ NCC Building Team as a Consents Administrator. Born a coaster but I have lived mainly in various North Island towns as an adult. Now I have returned to the South I plan to settle in Nelson. I am enjoying the beautiful outdoors in a gentle rather than extreme way, tennis is the sport I love most and I am a volunteer ambulance officer with St John. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all.

Steve Elliot, Building Inspector

After 3 years enjoying myself and seeing some of the amazing places and doing some of the fantastic things Nelson and Top of the South has to offer I have returned to the fold once more as a Building Inspector with NCC. There is still so much more to see and do hence I am only part time. For those of you who don’t know me I arrived in this wonderful town from Scotland with Susan, my wife and 4 boys almost 4 years ago with no regrets whatever. I am now an ardent Nelson Suburbs and All Whites fan roll on June 11.

And now for some housekeeping

Please ensure when you complete an application form on behalf of the owner that you do actually put the owner details on the application form, not the owners c/o your address. Incorrectly completed application forms lead to incorrect statutory forms (Building Consent and Code Compliance Certificate). There may be many times Council need to contact the owner during the building project which you as the agent/first point of contact may not like to be involved in, for example following-up an unpaid account or check the status of the building work (section 93 of the Building Act). Your help in keeping our database correct is appreciated.

We have started to write to owners or agents when a request for further information has gone unanswered for three months. Our letter requests a response if the project is to continue, and also states that if there is no response within a certain timeframe the Building Consent will not be granted and an invoice for the staff time to-date will be sent.

Product Assurance Framework Seminars

As you may be aware, the Department of Building and Housing have just released a new document entitled “Using the Product Assurance Framework to support Building Code compliance – A guide for manufacturers and suppliers of building products”

BRANZ fully support this initiative to bring clarity to the building product market and would like to encourage you to be fully conversant with the details of this document. We expect the framework outlined in this document will become increasingly important as manufacturers / suppliers of products will be required to understand the risk profile of their products and then be able to validate that profile through independent testing and assurance when required by a Building Consent Authority.

The Department of Building and Housing and BRANZ have joined together to present a series of free seminars outlining the document and what significance it has for both Product Manufacturers / Suppliers and Building Consent Authorities.

As above we believe that a framework for the Building product market will greatly assist to bring clarity and assurance to our market and encourage you to read the document and attend the seminar.

Best Regards

Richard Arkinstall
Marketing Manager – BRANZ

Sign up for a BRANZ product seminar

Click to BRANZ website for seminar registration

Download the BRANZ Product Assurance Framework guidance (PDF @ 900K)

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If you have feedback on Building Nelson please contact: Tracy Quinton-Boundy on 03 546 0248 or Dawn Rosie on 03 545 8839.

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Building Nelson is a publication of the Nelson City Council.

Nelson City Council contact details

Civic House
110 Trafalgar Street

PO Box 645 Nelson 7040

Phone: +64 3 546 0200

Fax: +64 3 546 0239

RAD 926818

Nelson City Council blog

Building Nelson Newsletter December 2011

Council opening hours over the festive period

NCC Building Consents Update July – Sept 2011

Building Consent Numbers

Value of Works

Building Consent Authority Processing Time Statistics to end September 2011

New Fees and Charges

Staff Changes

Just when you thought was safe to get back in the water…..Our Pool Compliance Officer Speaks

NZS 3604:2011

NZ Fire Services Commission (DRU) Changes

Erosion Controls

Holiday Building Projects

Earthquake Strengthening My Building – Seminar

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Nelson City Council contact details

December 2010 Building Nelson Newsletter

December 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Council Opening Hours over the festive period

Statutory time frame clock

Duty Inspector over Christmas and New Year

Civic House office refit

NZ Building Code Schedule 1

Regional map service shows off top of the South

Differences in the Nelson GIS service

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Nelson City Council contact details

October 2010 Building Nelson Newsletter

October 2010

Helping our neighbours

Earthquake Prone Building policy

Nelson City Council Earthquake Prone Building Policy – Status September 2010

Assessments to date

Post Disaster & Crowd Buildings

IEP Reports

EQB Policy Review

Exempt works / Schedule 1

Useful building information web sites

The Nelson Building Industry Salon

GST Increases

And now for some housekeeping

Building Consent Application Forms

Application for CCC forms

Building Unit statistics - September 2010

Monthly report of consents lodged and process times

Without amendments

Process results for consents lodged without amendments

With amendments

Process results for consents lodged with amendments

Monthly report on Code Compliance Certificates

Process results for code compliance certificates

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June 2010 Building Nelson Newsletter

Booking a Duty Building Officer

Process for commercial building consents

Step 1 - Pre-lodgement meetings

Step 2 - Lodgement of Commercial Building Consents