WaiMate District - Industrial Zone Planning Rules
The below guidance is our knowledge of the rules and regulations and is provided to assist you in your assessment and early planning but does not constitute official or legal advice.
When building within an Industrial Zone in the Waimate District there are some key rules to follow to make sure you comply with to avoid requiring a Resource Consent.
Waimate District Plan definition of Industrial Activity is:
- Means the use of land and buildings for the primary purpose of manufacturing, fabricating, processing, packing, or associated storage of goods.
The District Plan incorporates Industrial Activities into 2 of the Business Zones, being:
- Business 2 (Mixed Business including Industrial).
- Business 3 (Industrial).
To help you understand the requirements in each zone I have broken down the key permitted activities and rules below for each different zone.
Note: There are Area specific rules that may also apply to your project, the XL Structural Architectural Team are available for guidance in the rules of the Waimate District Plan.
Site Standards Business 2 Zone
Maximum Height:
- 10 metres.
Colour Palette:
- All exterior surfaces, including roofs, of new buildings shall be clad or painted using Council’s Victorian and Edwardian Colour Palette.
There are various other rules for Site Standards to adhere to for permitted activities such as; loading and access, service station/drive in operations and building alterations and zone standards such as noise, hours of operation, dust, lighting to comply with.
Site Standards Business 3 Zone
Maximum Height:
- 10 metres.
Setbacks from Roads and Waterways:
The minimum building setback from road boundaries shall be:
- 10m where the site faces a Residential Zone.
- 6m in all other cases.
- Any filling, excavation or buildings shall be at least 15m from any waterway.
Site Coverage:
- 70% maximum.
Landscaping to Road Boundary:
The minimum width of landscape areas that shall be established along road boundaries shall be 1m in all cases.
There are various other rules for Site Standards to adhere to for permitted activities such as Amenities of Residential Zones, site landscaping, Loading and access, offensive trade and zone standards such as noise, hours of operation, dust, lighting to comply with.
Other District wide rules applicable to ALL industrial zones in Waimate District Plan
HAIL and contaminated land
From experience XL is aware a lot of industrial land may have been developed on contaminated or HAIL land.
XL Structural will be able to assist you with your project to ensure you are not breaching any requirements that may be applicable to your site.
Carparking (Transport)
The Waimate District Plan has rules and policies in place for the various Zones for car parking and landscaping. Industrial areas require 1.5 spaces per 100m² gross floor area. If providing car parking you will still need to comply with NZS 4121:2001 and provide 1 accessible car park per 1-20 spaces.
It is also important to consider the surrounding environment and where your staff working within your new building will park if limited spaces are provided.
There are also minimum dimensions for car parks depending on the layout you choose to use on your site, along with turning circle and road width requirements. XL can work through the best car park layout for your site with you.
These are the main rules which your building needs to comply with to avoid needing a resource consent, it is important to understand there may be further rules to comply with.
District Plans can be challenging to navigate, we would recommend reaching out to the XL Structural team who will be happy to conduct a concise and detailed preliminary planning review for your project.
You can find the full Waimate District Plan here.
