New Plymouth District Council - 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 New Plymouth District there are some key rules to follow to make sure you comply with to avoid requiring a Resource Consent.
New Plymouth District has six Industrial Zones, all with varying rules and requirements.
To help you understand the Zones, a brief description is noted below.
INDUSTRIAL A AREAS are those areas which are characterised by ‘light’ industrial uses located in close proximity to business and residential areas. They are usually small to medium sized sites that contain small-scale warehouses and on-site car parking areas.
INDUSTRIAL B AREAS are similar to the INDUSTRIAL A AREAS in that they are located in urban areas and in close proximity to business and residential areas.
INDUSTRIAL C AREAS include a wide range of industrial uses. They are located in the relative vicinity of residential areas and/or sensitive water bodies. These areas tend to have larger lots that contain large warehouses and/or large areas of outdoor storage.
These sites usually provide car parking on-site and buildings are usually set back from the road boundary.
INDUSTRIAL D AREAS includes much of Port Taranaki, the New Plymouth power station, and the associated industrial activities in the Breakwater Road/Centennial Drive locality. This area is characterised by many large warehouses, cranes, storage tanks and large expanses of impervious surfaces for outdoor storage. Most buildings are not setback from roads within the port except where car parking is provided between buildings and the road.
INDUSTRIAL E AREAS is similar to the INDUSTRIAL C AREA except that it is predominantly located in the Bell Block industrial areas. This area is the principal location for general heavy industry in the district, and as such is well separated from sensitive residential areas but remains close to principal arterial routes and transport centres.
INDUSTRIAL F AREAS includes the two “Think Big” petrochemical industrial sites, located at Waitara Valley and Motunui and situated in rural settings. The respective sites are characterised by their use of large quantities of raw energy feedstock for manufacture within an array of large, tall buildings, towers, and flues, extensive pipework and supporting structures, and large areas of hard surfacing. These sites are either well landscaped around their edges or set back from main transportation routes.
Note: There are area-specific rules that may also apply to your project, the XL Structural Architectural Team is available for guidance in the rules of the New Plymouth District Plan.
Permitted Activities and Performance Standards
Permitted activities and their Performance Standards vary over the Industrial Zones, to view the Operative District Plan here
Overlays
Overlays identify areas of importance in the District, your site may be affected by an overlay. To view Overlay Sections click here.
Other rules applicable to ALL industrial zones in the New Plymouth Plan
HAIL and contaminated land
From experience, XL is aware a lot of industrial land may have been developed on contaminated or HAIL land.
The New Plymouth Plan has rules and policies in place for contaminated land.
XL Structural will be able to assist you with your project to ensure you are not breaching these requirements.
Carparking
The New Plymouth District Plan has rules and policies in place for the various Zones for car parking and landscaping. 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 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 that 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. New Plymouth District Plan 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 New Plymouth District Plan here.