Copy
View this email in your browser
Share
Tweet
Forward

Rotorua Lakes Council - Building E-Newsletter - September 2019

Kia ora
Welcome to the Building Services Newsletter September 2019 - spring edition.

Christmas Holidays
LBP Notification
Updated Forms
Building Consent Amendment
Minor Variations
PS4 documentation
Onsite Effluent Disposal
Rotorua Airshed - wood burners
New Zealand Building Code updates
Work in progress

Christmas Holidays
With under 100 days to go, its time to think ahead to the few months leading up to Christmas . This year with Christmas falling on a Wednesday, Rotorua Lakes Council will close from midday Friday 20 December 2019 and open again for business as normal 8.00am Monday 6 January 2020.  Keep these dates in mind for upcoming Building Consents and booking of Inspections over the next few months as the Building Services and Business Support team take a well earned break during this time.

  • No Building Inspections will be available during this time

Under the Building Act 2004 Sub-part 2 Interpretation – definition of 'working day' -  the Statutory clock stops on the 20th December and restarts on the 10th January, this is considered a single working day.  Council will continue to receive and work on consents during this period.

LBP Notification
Just a reminder before any Inspections are booked, the Advice form of LBP must be submitted to our Building Business Support team prior to the first inspection or prior to each inspection that would trigger RBW.  This will avoid the Inspectors turning up, requesting the LBP form, and if not provided, discontinuing with the inspection.

Updated Forms
Rotorua Lakes Council Building Services team has undertaken a review of all the Building Services forms on Councils website. Some changes that you will note (but these are not limited to):

  • Form 2: Application for PIM and/or Building Consent form - this has been updated to reflect capturing all the departments involved in assessing your consents, please be aware that the 'Council Use' only page has been revised to list these departments.
  • Statement of Compliance
  • Solid Fuel Burner checklist

To ensure you have the latest version, only print off the most current application form/document on-line from the Rotorua Lakes Council Building Forms page.  If you have multiple hard copies within your filing cabinet, please replace these with current versions from the webpage.  Any outdated forms presented may result in the refusal of accepting the form.

Building Consent Amendment
Rotorua Lakes Council Building Services Team have enhanced our Amendment documentation procedure.

When an amendment is approved a revised Building Consent document will be issued & the amendment information will be at the back of this document following the text from the original Building Consent, the Amendment section will include any additional endorsements/conditions including inspections not already noted on the original Building Consent document.

Please ensure you make yourself familiar with the new Amendment document when this is issued.

Minor Variations
These are just as the name suggests, minor.   The Building Services team are seeing a number of misinterpreted Variations being presented to Inspectors or just submitted directly to Council.  Its imperative that a discussion is held BEFORE any documents are submitted with either the Building Inspector or Building Consents Assessor to confirm whether the change is a Variation or an Amendment.  This is to avoid having the documents returned, or placed on hold.

PS4 Documentation
PS4 documents provided to confirm compliance with designs require an accurate description of the work assessed. PS4's are also to be supported with site observation notes. We are noticing insufficient information is being provided on some PS4 statements.  The PS4 needs to specifically identify the BC#, along with identifying and referring to the specific details/sheet numbers that has been reviewed on site, and any site notes/photos.  Some good examples received include a cover letter that accurately details the project and the extent of the engagement.

Onsite Effluent Disposal
Some building consents are being submitted with incomplete documentation for On-site Effluent Treatment Systems. Any effluent disposal needs to be shown to discharge to an outfall.  To confirm compliance with Schedule 5 or TP58, each OSET system must have the following minimum attributes documented within the building consent application.

  • Full Schedule 5 or TP58 calculations (depending whether you are in the Rotorua Lakes Catchment area or the Waikato District area)
  • Clearly identified what system is being used, including exact tank brand complying with Regional Bay of Plenty guidelines), pump data sheet.
  • Clearly identified what effluent disposal is being used (either trench or dripper line) with all relevant details
  • Drawings should replicate the layout of the system including tank, pipes, auto sequencing valves, dripper lines, trenches, flushing valves
  • land application area (correctly showing both layout and reserve area)
  • preferably shown on the same plan as any storm-water disposal to show there is no overland flow path affecting the effluent field.
  • Separation off buildings and boundaries

Within the Schedule 5 or TP58 calculation, if Water Saving devices are nominated within the OSET report, then on the Building Consent drawings or specification, it must be identified that Water Saving devices are being installed to comply with the OSET report.

Rotorua Airshed - wood burners
If you (or your Clients) live in the Rotorua air shed, and the home contains a non-compliant wood burner, coal burner or multi-fuel burner, and if it was installed before September 2005, then the wood burner is deemed non-compliant and you/they will not be able to light that wood burner after 31 January 2020.  (Chip heaters, coal ranges, marshall heaters and indoor open fires installed within the Rotorua Airshed are now illegal to use).

To find out more and to comply with the Point of Sale rule, a link to the Clean Air Rotorua airshed from Bay of Plenty Regional Council below.

Read more at Clean Air Rotorua
New Zealand Building Code updates
  • Consultation within the current round of bi-annual building code changes has now closed, these will be reflected in the building code updates in November 2019 from MBIE, we understand changes will include promoting robust foundation solutions for liquefaction-prone ground which will require Specific Engineering Design.
 
  • Fire Code document C/AS2 (combined) was effective on 27 June 2019.  There is a transition period of four months, which means the previous Acceptable Solutions C/AS2 - C/AS7 can be used to comply with the Building Code until 31 October 2019.  If C/AS2-C/AS7 is used from 31 October 2019, it must be treated as an alternative solution and subject to regulatory peer review by an independent CPEng.

    Refer to this link for a handy MBIE Factsheet on the changes: READ HERE
 
  • Building Code updates that were issued in June 2019 from MBIE, after its transition ends will become the acceptable solution come November 2019.
Work in progress - watch this space....
  • Rotorua Lakes Council is currently reviewing the Dangerous and Insanitary Buildings Policy, this is being drafted now and will be out for public submission next month, submissions will close in November 2019.  Information will be available on Councils website during October.
 
  • Asbestos regulations are now in full force and the Building Services team have been discussing these regulations with an independent expert.  We have reviewed the ramifications for documentation within a Building Consent application, we hope to have this information ready mid November.  It will impact on what is provided upfront as part of a Building Consent application and may have implications during start up on site.
 
  • Designers meeting - we are working on holding another Designers meeting mid November to capture the Asbestos changes, and working through any Building Code changes, Compliance Schedule documentation etc - more to come on this (or if you would like us to discuss any item specifically, feel free to reply to this email with any hot topics you want to put forward).
Copyright © 2019 Rotorua Lakes Council, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.