In our May Newsletter we reminded holders of post-earthquake temporary resource consents that, under the conditions of these consents, they will start expiring in the next 12 months. That position was subject to any changes under the Christchurch Replacement District Plan (CRDP) process.

Several clients have asked that we provide an update as to that process.

The current position is that decisions by the Independent Hearing Panel CRDP have confirmed, at a general level, that the expiry date for temporary activities should be extended to 2018 (i.e. a further 2 years), with possible extensions until 2022 based on consideration under a restricted discretionary consent process. The details of this process are yet to be determined.

This means the Council's discretion would be restricted under the Plan to a sub-set of issues such as traffic generation, and potentially including restrictions on the notification of applications.

This change has yet to be confirmed for specific zones, in particular the residential zone, as they are still subject to submissions and further decisions. However, it is looking likely that the expiry dates for post-earthquake temporary consents will be extended until at least 2018.

Our Resource Management Team will provide further updates if the situation changes or is confirmed.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.