Thursday 8 February 2024 

Port-link Industrial Park update

We’ve been working closely with the landowner and site occupier of Port-link Industrial Park on a way to address concerns about how containers are managed on the site, including the height of container stacks. 

As you may be aware, the Council and applicant hold differing views on whether a container is subject to the maximum height rules in the Christchurch District Plan for “buildings”. Towards the end of 2023 the applicant lodged applications for Certificates of Compliance to have two independent commissioners determine that interpretation issue for the Council.

We’ve now received a decision on the Certificates of Compliance, which has determined containers are buildings, and as such are subject to building-related rules such as maximum heights and minimum setbacks.  

Now that there has been a decision on the Certificate of Compliance application confirming containers are subject to building rules, we are requesting the applicant complies with the building height rule. An abatement notice has been issued to give formal effect to this request, providing one month to comply.

The Resource Management Act provides appeal rights against the Certificate of Compliance decision and the applicant can seek a stay of the abatement notice. Both these applications would be made to, and considered by, the Environment Court. It is possible the applicant may seek both, which could delay progress on this matter. 

A copy of the decision is available here.

Resource Consent application update

The applicant’s amended Resource Consent application is currently being reviewed by the independent commissioner, who will make a decision in due course.

The application is seeking approval for the overall operation at the site and a boundary adjustment subdivision.

Information on this application process is available here.

Get in touch and stay updated

Our compliance staff are responding to complaints and answering queries. If you have an urgent complaint about operations on the site such as noise, please phone 941 8999.

If you have any questions about the Resource Consent process, please contact John Higgins, Head of Planning and Consents at John.Higgins@ccc.govt.nz or +64 3 941 8224.

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