Building C on t r o l March 2015
Building Post
Building Activity It’s true, it was slightly busier for the first 6 months of the financial year 2014/2015 than the same time for 2013/2014. Here are the comparison figures: Consents issued for July 2014 to end of December 2014: • Total of 623 consents, with a total value of $71,554,224.62 • This total included 90 new dwellings, with a value of $30,293,973.57 This compares to July 2013 to end of December 2013 figures of: • Total of 552 consents, with a total value of $65,266,986.32 • This total included 85 new dwellings, with a value of $26,425,333.00 Consents received for July 2014 to end of December 2014: • Total of 666 consents, with a total value of $80,637,185.10 • This total included 105 new dwellings, with a value of $36,878,765.57 This compares to July 2013 to end of December 2013 figures of: • Total of 525 consents, with a total value of $70,402,299.90 • This total included 89 new dwellings, with a value of $29,118,651.00
The News for 2015
Welcome to the first edition of the Building Post for 2015. The year is already flying ahead at a phenomenal rate with only fleeting memories of our Christmas holiday break left. You will remember that in my December edition I mentioned the introduction of the Government’s new “Consumer Protection Measures”. Well that all started on 1 January 2015 and so you now need to follow all the new requirements when entering in to a contract over $30,000.00. There is quite a bit to these new requirements so if you want further information come in to Council and help yourself to the two new booklets produced by MBIE. One just for the Contractors “Do your homework” and one for the customer called Building or Renovating “Do your homework”. You can also go straight to www. doyourhomework.co.nz for further information.
It will be interesting to see if the trend continues for the rest of the year. Here’s hoping it does.
Building Post Circulation At present we send out about 120 copies by post (snail mail). I would like to reduce that number significantly so if you would send me your email address I will ensure you get it the same day it’s sent out. Send your contact to
[email protected]. Why do I want it by email? A lot of the information contained in the Building Post has links to various websites. By clicking on those links you will go straight to the source of the information. No typing required. Together we will save a lot of trees and cost.
Seymour Street PO Box 443 Blenheim 7240 NEW ZEALAND
Ph: +64 3 520 7400 Fax: +64 3 520 7496 Email:
[email protected] www.marlborough.govt.nz
Newsletter prepared by Bill East Building Control Group Leader Marlborough District Council Email:
[email protected]
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March 2015
Online Applications Because of the digital environment we work in at Council it was only natural that the Building Control Team would look at online applications. For some time MBIE has been talking about a national processing hub and the new national digital environment, but by early 2014 it was clear that the national scheme is some way off so Council began work on our own online system. Working with Mandy and Michelle (our “Online Services” team) the Building Seniors and I, using the Datacom Customer Connect platform, developed a system to enable you to apply for building consents online. We’ve configured the applications in a user-friendly way so that you only see fields relevant to your project, you have links to useful information, and made sure that applications can not be submitted if information is missing that the Building Act requires us to have prior to processing your consent - cutting down on time taken requesting further information. We began a pilot launch late last year and have been progressively introducing members of the industry to the system. Thank you to those who have participated, for both your willingness to use the new system and the feedback you have provided, allowing us to fine tune our system.
Online Applications
Increasing number of consents are coming in online - approximately 50 so far - and from 1 April (no, this is not an April fool’s joke) we will be making it available to you. At this stage you can use our online application system to apply for general building consents and log fire applications. Development work is under way to provide online applications for Certificates of Acceptance, Marquee applications and Certificates for Public Use. These types of applications are a little different as they require an up-front deposit and/or fees. When the application is vetted, should we still require more information, you will receive an email notification as soon as vetting has been completed. This will include a link to the information you have submitted, so that all you need to do is simply change/update the relevant details and re-submit. When a consent has been accepted in to processing, our online system allows us to send you a quick update with the consent number you have been issued, and when the consent is issued, you will receive an email with a link to your consent documentation, which you will be able to download. Again this saves some time getting the information to you, so you can move on with your project. The purpose of this new system is to save time for both us, and for you, our customers. Use this link to go straight to online services (note - you will not see building application options until you have created an account and are logged in) https://eservices.marlborough.govt.nz/ Remember - you must create an account or log in to your existing account to access online building consent applications. This is so you can save partially completed applications and return to them later. The screenshots illustrate what you can expect to see. Instructions on how to create an account: http://www.marlborough.govt.nz/Terms-and-Conditions-for-Use-of-This-Site/Create-OnlineServices-Account.aspx
Building Control Newsletter
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You will not see building consent applications if you are not logged in
Once logged in, building consent application options appear
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March 2015
Section 37, not another hold up!!!
Section 37
How often does this happen to you? You finally get through the building consent process only to find out that the consent documentation includes a section 37. Under normal circumstances you should have been sent a letter by the PIM Information Officer informing you there is a section 37, but this is often overlooked by the applicant or their agent with the end result being, you are all ready to start work but you can’t do a thing until the resource consent is granted. Here’s the Act’s description:
Helpful Steps
Knowing what it means does not help you get the job underway, so here are a few helpful steps to assist you speed things up: •
•
• •
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pply for a Project Information Memorandum (PIM): If you think there could be a A few issues with the property you are about to build on, or you are designing a building for, you can always use the PIM process. An issued PIM will tell you everything you need to consider in your design (land use) before submitting the final building consent application. This means that if the PIM identifies that you require resource consent, both your resource consent and building consent applications can run at the same time. Of course this process requires more time at the beginning of the planning process. Note: PIMs must be issued within 20 working days. Duty Planner: If you do not have time for the PIM process (PIM must be issued within 20 working days), then a visit to Council to talk to the Duty Planner is always a great investment of time. Don’t forget the more information you can provide the Duty Planner, the better he/she can assist you. Note: The Duty Planner is available 9.00 am through to 3.00 pm every working day. Pre Lodgement Meeting: Before you start your consent application come in and talk to us about the project. A lot of out of town designers prefer to do this, especially with major projects. E–Plan: Go to http://maps.marlborough.govt.nz/onlineplan. This great little tool is part of Council’s Smart Map system on the Council’s website. You can enter the property address or valuation number to go straight to the plan rules applicable to the zone you want to work in. The information will allow you to consider what, if any, resource consent applications you need to make. Again this means you can have both consent applications working at the same time, potentially saving you a lot of time and frustration. If you have any difficulty using E-Plan please ring Customer Services on 03 520 7400 and a Customer Services Officer will talk you through the process.
Building Control Newsletter
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If your screen does not look like this, you are in the wrong place
E-Plan
A Wee Reminder Regarding Sill Flashings When undertaking a post wrap inspection we often see that the flashing system has been installed incorrectly. Please remember that you need to make sure that the sill flashing extends past the window or door (where applicable), just like the E2 acceptable solution figure below. Trying to make it right is too hard after the window/door has been ordered or, even worse, installed.
Wee Reminder
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March 2015
Introducing Hamish Harper Hamish started with our team as a Building Control Officer on 2 February. Here’s a brief introduction from Hamish: I grew up on a farm in the Marlborough Sounds, where I was home-schooled via correspondence school. I have spent most of my life living in Marlborough, apart from short stints in Nelson and Ireland. I have been involved in the building industry for over 20 years. I started off as a builders labourer, then made the progression of qualifying as a carpenter. I started my own construction company, which I have run for 15 years, building throughout the Sounds, Nelson and Marlborough. I spent three years working in Ireland in the early 2000s and worked on interesting projects like a 1600s castle renovation/rebuild and new colleges in the outlying Dublin/Wicklow area.
Welcome Hamish
I am looking forward to being part of the team here at the Council, and enjoying my time in the ever changing role of Building Control. Other interesting facts: • I am married with four children. • I started work when I was 11 years old in my family’s fishing business and was running a boat at 13 years old. • I joined my local rural fire team as a teenager and have been an active member since then. • I have won the regional fire competitions nine times and the national championship four times over the course of my time as a fire fighter. • I owned and ran a commercial beekeeping business for 15 years. • While I was in Ireland I took up rowing, and won the Ireland National Championship and five gold medals, to fill my days out! • I was an ambulance officer in my late teens.
Vehicle Change On 1 April Building Control will introduce their new rapid response vehicle.
Building Control Newsletter
Confusion There seems to be a bit of confusion out there about which set of documents are the correct building consent (approved) documents to download from the Council website. The problem with downloading from the wrong folder is that there is sometimes a huge difference between the application documents and the actual approved documents. We have had instances where the builder had the wrong set of plans on site. The only plans and documents you should have should clearly show: APPROVED DOCUMENTS DATE APPROVED 00/00/0000 MARLBOROUGH DISTRICT COUNCIL Here are some helpful tips to avoid such an issue when downloading plans: When you enter the building consent number in to the Council’s website you will get a screen that shows five folders. They are:
BC150012#01 - Application: This folder contains the original unprocessed documents that were received by Council at the time of application. Do not use these documents for anything else than as a check of what was presented to Building Control. BC150012#02 - Processing: This folder holds all of the processing information, for example prompt sheets, e-mails and correspondence sent to the agent and internal staff. Again, this is information only. Do not download any documents for construction. They are not the finished and approved documents. BC150012#03 - Approved Consent Documents (Formerly “Approval”): This folder has been renamed to make it clear that this is the folder that contains the issued building consent documents. It will contain (once the consent is issued of course) the plans, specifications, engineering documents, any correspondence that has relevance to the consented documents, and of course the actual consent document. These are the only documents you should copy for the site. BC150012#04 - Inspections: This folder will contain the field sheets, all inspection site reports, any correspondence in regard to inspections, photos and anything else that relates to site inspections. BC150012#05 - Code Compliance Certificate: This is an easy one. It contains the final Code Compliance Certificate.
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March 2015
What’s Happening at the Government Level I attended a Mainland Cluster meeting in Rangiora on 6 March this year. The Mainland Cluster Group consists of group leaders and senior building control officers from all the councils from the top of the South Island to Asburton. We get together at least four times a year to discuss common issues and find ways to work together in relation to training, IANZ accreditation and working with MBIE. At this latest meeting we had both Kevin Currie and Craig Hill from MBIE talk to us and give us an update on proposed new systems.
What’s Happening
Kevin came to discuss the future of the National Online Consenting Programme. The idea was to have a one stop shop where all consents across New Zealand would be processed and issued. Most likely in Wellington. So what’s the future? Basically there is not one, a future that is. After years of research the MBIE is pulling the pin on this. What was interesting though was that MBIE has found, whilst doing its research to develop a National Inline Consenting Programme, that 80% of building consent applications were prepared by building professionals, as opposed to home owners, but a third of all applications did not meet the minimum requirement to get the applications accepted by Council. Now that is not good. I am really pleased that the Marlborough District Council continued to develop its own online system. There are many councils that sat back and waited for MBIE to get the system going and now they will have to start from scratch. Craig briefed the Group on the “risk based” consenting system that the Minister is really keen to get up and running. There appeared to be general consensus from the Group that risk based consenting appears to be a good idea, offering benefits with respect to commercial projects. However, these benefits are less clear in a residential situation. Craig explained that separating these out in the legislation was not possible, i.e. risk based consenting could not be applied to only commercial and not residential buildings. It was clear from the discussion with Craig that there are many hurdles in front of MBIE to get the system up and running. A big one is the current legal environment of “joint and several” liability. This would need to change to “proportional liability” to enable a better settlement process. It is also clear that certain sectors are not that happy about the idea of risk based consenting. The insurance industry and loan institutions have voiced their concerns to Government. The building industry has also indicated that they would rather see the Council in the loop. Going by the content of Craig’s discussion I don’t think we will see this system in place for quite some time, if ever. Well that’s my personal opinion anyway.
Council Website - Building Pages Have Your Say Have Your Say
Currently we are reviewing the Council building pages of the website. We have had feedback from industry that some people struggle to navigate around the various pages. Council is looking to improve the information provided and the ease of navigating around the pages. To help us do this we would appreciate your input. For those that are receiving this by email, click on the link below to fill out a short survey on ways we could improve the website pages. For snail mail receivers, type the following link to fill out the survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8T9SCQF Click here to complete survey.
Seymour Street PO Box 443 Blenheim 7240 NEW ZEALAND
Ph: +64 3 520 7400 Fax: +64 3 520 7496 Email:
[email protected] www.marlborough.govt.nz
