Planning & consents

If you are doing building or landscaping work on your property you may need to get a building consent or resource consent from Queenstown Lakes District Council.  QLDC resource and building consent records are available online at eDocs. Here you’ll find historical information about any property, not just your own, as well as some consents in process.

 

Building consent

A building consent confirms that proposed building work is structurally sound, plumbing and drainage is sanitary and that minimum fire standards have been met. Consent is required for most building work and without it your insurance cover may be affected.

Work cannot begin until Council has issued a building consent (and a resource consent if applicable). If you start any site or building work before this, it is illegal building work and you are liable for a fine.

There is some building work that is exempt from needing consent.

 

Resource consent

If the work you plan to do is not permitted within the District Plan, you will have to get a resource consent.

Consent may be required for any activity that relates to the use of land, water, soil resources, and air and noise pollution. For example, you may need a resource consent if you want construct a new building or change the use of an existing building, undertake earthworks, erect a sign, run a large event, or discharge waste into water, into the air, or onto land.

 

Arrowtown Design Guidelines

The Arrowtown Design Guidelines, first developed in 2006 and updated and added to the proposed district plan in 2016, were developed to help make sure building restoration, alteration, development and redevelopment work reflects the special qualities and historic character of Arrowtown. The guidelines take in all of Arrowtown, with a focus on the town centre and early residential area.

You can download the two parts of the guidelines here and here.

 

Arrowtown Residential Historic Management Zone

If you own property in older part of the residential settlement Arrowtown, under the proposed district plan you are subject to development controls designed to retain the distinctive character and atmosphere of that part of town. This may affect things like building modifications, boundary setbacks, ground coverage and parking.