New process for subdivision approvals
Christchurch City Council Newsline: 30th April 2025
Christchurch City Council is working on a new process to ensure subdivisions have all the appropriate approvals before starting construction.
Subdivision resource consents require developers to construct roads and roading infrastructure inside the new development, as well as appropriate connections to existing Council infrastructure. Once work is complete, the new roads are vested in Council.
However, Council staff recently found some construction - particularly new infrastructure on and connections to existing roads - was carried out without appropriate Community Board or Council approval.
General Manager City Infrastructure Brent Smith says staff are now aware of this requirement and will ensure all necessary approvals are obtained before work is carried out.
“Work carried out at various sites has been guided by the goal of ensuring safety for both residents and travellers as efficiently as possible. Efforts have focussed on creating safe access for vehicles as well as safe crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists.”
“This issue has been found mostly in areas where rural land has been developed into housing, such as Halswell and Belfast,” Mr Smith says.
When land is being developed, the District Plan includes provision to require upgrades to existing roads along the frontage of a site, and may involve adding footpaths, creating access points, widening roads, safety improvements and planning where new roads connect to existing ones.
“With the development of new subdivisions, there’s a significant increase in people using roads, footpaths, and pedestrian crossings. As traffic movement grows, it’s crucial we have safe crossing points for everyone,” Mr Smith says.
“We want to reassure residents that road safety within new subdivisions has not been compromised. As part of a resource consent application for a subdivision there are roading standards and specifications that developers must meet.”
The Council is now identifying work carried out on existing roads as well as roading infrastructure within a subdivision to determine whether retrospective approvals are necessary.
“For new subdivisions not yet underway, resolution reports will be prepared in advance of any road works starting,” Mr Smith says.
“We’re also exploring a streamlined approach to presenting subdivision roads and road infrastructure and related approvals to community boards or the Council. This will involve high level plans for subdivisions going to the Community Board before the following consent approval, then detailed traffic resolutions will be approved prior to constructions starting."
Retrospective reports are being prepared that provide the context for and seek Community Board approval to retain the currently constructed infrastructure, which will happen over the next three months. This will also give elected members the opportunity to raise concerns or queries about the work.