There's a lot to think about when you are developing in the Central City. We're here to help make the process easier.

People walking through the Central City

How we can help

If you are just starting out and thinking about developing, or have a site with developed ideas or plans, we can help you.

Whether you are new to development or a seasoned professional there are ways we can support your projects.

To find out how we can assist you with our range of services and advice, or if you have questions about developing in the Central City, email us at centralcity@ccc.govt.nz.

Our range of services

Some of the services we offer include:

  • Free pre-application Urban Design advice. 
  • Design review by our independent Christchurch Urban Design Panel.  
  • Advice on the planning rules under the District Plan specific to the Central City.
  • Where and when a resource consent is required and how to apply for this.
  • Information about the building consent process.
  • Access to our technical staff including building consent officers, fire engineering specialists, geotechnical and structural engineering experts.
  • Advice on alcohol and health-related licences.
  • Free advice from our Eco Design Advisor to help you build smarter. 
  • Specialist advice on heritage-listed buildings and assistance with applying for a heritage incentive grant.
  • Case manager support (through our Partnership Approvals team) to help with the range of Council information, processes and approvals required for your project.

Some services may incur a charge, so please ask us about this.

Building with encouragement

As well as advice and services, we offer incentives that recognise the value that developers make in supporting our vision for a vibrant, prosperous Central City.

Development contribution rebate

The current development contribution rebate scheme has been extended to June 2020, and we're working on a range of further options to support development which will be available in the future.

Creative hoardings 

The creative hoarding scheme, enables charges for the temporary use of legal road during building construction to be waived where creative construction hoarding is used.