The Christchurch City Council is responsible for processing resource consent applications (land use and subdivision consents) within Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.
PC14 and Medium Density Residential Standards update
The Housing and Business Choice Plan Change (PC14) contains the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) and other government-directed intensification provisions. Updates on this are available on our PC14 page.
Applications for resource consent and building consent can’t be processed under the proposed rules until they have legal effect. This will occur after decisions on PC14 have been made and notified.
The operative District Plan provisions continue to apply in the meantime.
A resource consent is a formal approval under the Resource Management Act 1991 that is required when a proposed building or activity does not comply with all of the relevant rules in the Christchurch District Plan(external link).
A resource consent is separate to a building consent, which confirms that building work complies with the Building Act 2004 and the building code. You may need one or both types of consent for your proposal.
Resource consent applications can be complex. We recommend that you engage an experienced professional to help prepare your application to ensure that it meets all the requirements of the District Plan and Resource Management Act.
To help minimise delays please ensure that your application is complete and includes all the necessary plans and supporting information. If you’re unsure about what you need to provide, check with our Duty Planner.
Processing timeframes
We've had a high number of resource consent applications over the last two years and have made great progress, where most applications are now being processed within statutory timeframes.
The current timeframe for most applications to be allocated to a planner for processing is:
| Allocation timeframe | Date last updated |
| 6 working days | 11 September 2023 |
The planner will contact you once your application is allocated.
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