Landscape assets to be vested in Council require review and acceptance prior to planting, bonding and multiple audit inspections.
All landscape developments must seek to optimise long-term community and environmental benefits whilst minimising ongoing maintenance costs.
Landscaping in new subdivisions plays an integral part in reinforcing our identity as the Garden City, a reputation on which many Ōtautahi residents pride themselves on. As well as their aesthetic values, trees, plants and landscape features also provide numerous other essential environmental, social community, cultural and economic benefits.
Through appropriate design and proactive management of landscape construction and establishment, those benefits can be maximised.
It is important for landscape architects to be involved in the subdivision scheme design stage, as there are essential interdependencies between civil engineering works and landscape design, such as slopes, watercourse design, berm widths, and locations of services in streets.
A pre-application meeting with the landscape approvals team to seek feedback on a draft scheme design plan can be a good idea at this stage.
Innovative landscape design should occur where site conditions, such as compacted ground and high water tables, would limit the potential for the successful establishment of trees and plants if more traditional designs were to be implemented.
When resource consent is granted, there will be conditions of consent that relate to the landscaping. To ensure that scheme designs are constructible, the landscaping must be considered a key part of the development from the beginning, not as an afterthought.
Plans and design reports must provide sufficient detail to demonstrate compliance with your consent conditions, and with the:
Plans must show:
A design report must be provided alongside the plans. The requirement for a design report is specified in IDS 10.3.2.
Design report guide for subdivision landscape assets [PDF, 544 KB].
The design report must:
The design report must also include:
Evidence is required that proposed structures shown on landscape plans will comply with the requirements of the Building Code where applicable and that playgrounds will comply with NZS 5828-2015 Playground equipment and surfacing.
Submit your landscape plans and design report to landscape.approval@ccc.govt.nz.
We obtain input from Council’s operations teams to identify and address any concerns regarding your design, including suitability and ongoing maintenance requirements and costs.
We will respond with collated feedback: questions, recommendations and requests for design amendments.
You will be sent the plans that are stamped as accepted by Council, and a Landscape Plans Acceptance Letter that provides information regarding Council’s requirements for the landscaping assets to be accepted at practical and final completion.
A development contributions offset is not the same as a bond.
A reserve development contributions offset is a sum that is credited by the Council to a developer, for an agreed value of land and landscape improvements to a future recreation reserve. Reserve development contributions offsets are agreed to by the Council to cover the cost of improvements on some recreation reserves that meet specific criteria.
Please refer to the Development Contributions Policy(external link) for further detail.
Where a development contributions offset has been agreed to, this will be stated as a consent condition. A schedule of costs must be submitted to Council’s Parks Unit for agreement prior to the Council’s acceptance of the landscape plans for that reserve.
Schedules for the purposes of bonding must be submitted to landscape.approval@ccc.govt.nz after the acceptance of your landscape plans.
Bond schedules must align with the accepted landscape plans and the actual costs of the specified work. The bond schedule template [XLSX, 31 KB] specifies the items that are to be included in the bond schedule and includes a list of minimum acceptable rates for some items.
For ongoing efficient administration of bond monies, Council issues separate invoices for:
Separate schedules for each of these categories – or separated sections within a single schedule – are preferred.
Once the schedules have been accepted, Council will stamp and return them. Depending on the timing of the bond invoices being issued, Council may return the schedule attached to the bond form for the developer or authorised agent to sign.
Bond invoices must be requested and paid before certification under section 224(c) RMA can be issued by Council.
Before a bond invoice can be issued, the bond form in the IDS Part 2 Appendix IV must be signed by the developer or their authorised agent and returned to Council. The bond form is the legal agreement that sets out the terms and conditions of the bond. The form specifies the work being bonded and the bond value.
The bond value, and the items to be bonded, are dependent on whether Council has accepted the assets at practical completion:
Following the Council’s acceptance of the assets at practical completion, refunds may be requested.
It is the developer’s responsibility:
Trees and plants are to be checked by suitably experienced and qualified personnel at procurement and prior to planting.
Engineer’s report guide for subdivision landscape assets [PDF, 777 KB].
To do something that differs from the accepted plans or does not comply with the CSS, a Non-conformance Report (NCR) is to be submitted, along with plans/drawings and photographs where applicable, indicating which assets are to be altered.
Council will review the NCR and provide confirmation of acceptance or non-acceptance.
Council audits the landscaping at practical completion to confirm compliance with the accepted plans, CSS, IDS and consent conditions.
An engineer’s report, specific to landscaping, must be provided to Council before a practical completion inspection can be scheduled.
The requirement for an engineer’s report is specified in IDS 10.3.4. An engineer’s report must include the following certifications and documentation:
Engineer's report guide for subdivision landscape assets. [PDF, 777 KB]
Submit your engineer’s report and request for a practical completion inspection to landscape.approval@ccc.govt.nz. At least two weeks advance notice is required for inspections.
The Parks and Landscapes Team reviews the engineer’s report, coordinates inspections with various operational staff, and coordinates the feedback and documentation from those inspections.
No defects
Practical completion accepted.
Minor defects
Defects are able to be rectified within the establishment period.
Practical completion is accepted with a list outlining the defects and timeframes required to rectify them.
Major defects
Defects are unlikely to be easily rectified during the establishment period.
Practical completion is not accepted until the defects are rectified.
Following practical completion acceptance, Council will issue a practical completion acceptance letter. The letter will specify the date of practical completion and the expected date of final completion and handover.
Establishment periods are specified in the consent conditions and are typically 24 months. In some situations, such as older consents, the establishment period specified for most landscaping is 12 months, with landscaping within stormwater basins specified as 24 months.
Evidence that the defects identified in the practical completion acceptance letter have been rectified in the specified timeframes is to be provided via landscape.approval@ccc.govt.nz, or in the monthly maintenance reports.
The landscape plantings and assets are to be maintained to an acceptable standard for the duration of the establishment period. The developer’s landscape architect or contract engineer and/or contractors are expected to regularly visit the site to monitor the condition of the landscape plantings and assets, and carry out any required establishment and maintenance works.
It is recommended that the developer’s landscape architects work closely with the contractors and undertake regular inspections of the landscaping assets during the establishment period.
To demonstrate compliance with the quality assurance requirements in IDS Part 3 and 10, Monthly Maintenance Reports must be submitted to Council. Monthly maintenance reports should provide the:
The monthly maintenance checklist provided in the CSS Part 7, Appendix 1 [PDF, 910 KB] can be included with the report.
To do something that differs from the accepted plans or does not comply with the CSS, a Non-conformance Report (NCR) is to be submitted, along with plans/drawings and photographs where applicable, indicating which assets are to be altered.
Council will review the NCR and provide confirmation of acceptance or non-acceptance.
This includes changes at the end of the establishment period where applicable, such as where trees and plants are missing.
Although quality assurance for the duration of the establishment period is the developer’s responsibility, Council does sometimes carry out a mid-maintenance inspection at or around the 12-month mark.
Submit your request for a mid-maintenance inspection to landscape.approval@ccc.govt.nz. At least two weeks advance notice is required for inspections.
Council audits the landscaping at final completion to confirm compliance with the accepted plans, the CSS and consent conditions.
You must provide the following certifications when requesting a final completion inspection:
Submit your certifications and request for a final completion inspection to landscape.approval@ccc.govt.nz. At least two weeks advance notice is required for inspections.
The Parks and Landscapes Team reviews the completion certification information, coordinates inspections with various operational staff, and coordinates the feedback and documentation from those inspections.
No defects
Final completion accepted.
Minor defects
Defects rectified by the developer, if possible and feasible.
If not possible or feasible, Council may accept the defects and withhold a portion of the bond where approved by the relevant operations team.
Final completion accepted.
Major defects
Bond is insufficient and/or the works will not be carried out by Council.
Final completion is not accepted and the establishment period is extended.
Following acceptance of the assets at Final Completion, Council will issue a Final Completion Confirmation Letter. The letter will confirm the date that maintenance is or was taken over by Council.
If a portion of the soft landscaping bond is being retained by Council, the letter will communicate the amount being retained and the reasons.
Bond refunds may be requested from landscape.approval@ccc.govt.nz once the Final Completion Confirmation Letter has been issued, or Council will be in touch to arrange the refund.