Earthworks Permit - Far North District Council

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Kaitaia Service Centre
Te Ahu, Corner Matthews A
venue and South Road
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SPECIALIST STAFF
Specialist staff are available by appointment.
EARTHWORKS PERMIT OR
RESOURCE CONSENT
In the Far North District
When is an Earthworks Permit or an
Earthworks Resource Consent required
Dialing 0800 920029 or 09 401 5200 will connect you
with a Customer Service Officer who will assist in
making an appointment with the appropriate person.
Would you like to know more
This publication has been provided as a guide only.
Far North District Council staff will be happy to assist
you if you have any further queries.
Version ONE
March 2012

Introduction
Earthworks could be subject to either a Earthworks Permit or an Earthworks
Resource Consent. Applicants will never need to apply for both.
If your proposal qualifies for an application for both, then apply only for
an Earthworks Resource Consent, and note in the application that the
bylaw is also contravened.
The written approval of any potentially affected parties should be
provided on a written approval form in accordance with the RMA –
There is a standard Written Approval Form (Neighbours). This is
available from Council Service Centres or the Council website
www.fndc.govt.nz.
Three copies of the completed application form and accompanying
information is required to be supplied (including 1 full size plan & 2
sets reduced to A4 size).
What is the difference between an Earthworks
Permit and an Earthworks Resource Consent
YOUR NOTES:
If the resident's project requires excavation or filling work, it is advised that
they refer to Council’s bylaw, Chapter 22, Control of Earthworks, to ensure
that the work they are proposing to do does not require an Earthworks
permit.
The bylaw is available from Council Service Centres or Council’s website
www.fndc.govt.nz. They may also need to obtain Resource Consent, depending
on the zoning and on the scale and purpose of the excavations.
Excavation means the digging out of materials from the ground, but does
not include:
Post holes,
Trenches for drainage,
Normal garden and rural practices,
Septic tanks and associated drainage,
Excavations for building foundations—including the stripping of topsoil, up
to 200mm deep, under the footprint of the building.
CHECK YOUR FORM
When you have completed your Application Form, check that
you have answered all the questions as fully as possible and
have included all the required attachments. Failure to do so will
delay the processing of your application.
If in doubt about how to complete your application, call 0800
920 029 to book an appointment with a Council Planning
Officer at either Kerikeri, Kaikohe or Kaitaia. See the back

How do I apply for Resource Consent for earthworks
Applications must be made on the Resource Consent Form 9 (together
with any other resource consents required) and supported by all the information
outlined in the checklist below. Council may require further information
once your application has been lodged. Please contact the Duty
Planner on 0800 920 029 if you are unsure of what you need to provide.
CHECKLIST:
Payment of the required deposit (Refer to the current Far North
District Council “Building, Planning & Development: Fees and
Charges” Schedule, available at Council Service Centres or from
the Council website www.fndc.govt.nz
Fill out the Resource Consent Form 9 and attach the following:
Site Plans should be in accordance with the section on Drawings
in Chapter 4 of the District Plan.
An Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) is an essential
part of the application. The AEE should discuss all the actual and
potential effects of the proposed earthworks on the environment.
The amount of detail provided must reflect the scale and nature of
the effects. If the effects of the proposal are very minor, then a
less detailed AEE can be submitted. If there are major effects
arising from the proposal, a detailed analysis and discussion of
the project and these effects (such as location, volume, stormwater
management and sediment control) should be included in the
AEE.
The Assessment Criteria at the end of Section12.3 may assist the
applicant in writing the AEE. The AEE may require the provision
of information from specific experts (e.g. an engineer). For more
information on the contents of an AEE, refer to the “Written Details”
section of Chapter 4 in the District Plan, and the Ministry for
the Environment publication “A guide to preparing a basic assessment
of environmental affects”, available from Council or
www.rma.govt.nz
The written approval of any potentially affected parties should
be provided on a written approval form in accordance with the
RMA – There is a standard Written Approval Form (Neighbours). This is
When should I apply for a Earthworks
Permit
An Earthworks Permit is required under Council’s Control of Earthworks Bylaw.
This bylaw applies if you are carrying out earthworks or fill that are:
Control of Earthworks Bylaw 2008
A) within 3 metres of any boundary or water body in all zones, except a
Minerals Zone
B) beyond 3 metres of any boundary or water body, in any zone, except
Minerals and Rural Production zones, and that exceeds
i. 500mm in depth, over a significant portion of an area which is less
than 100m², or
ii. Surface area greater than 100m 2 , or
iii. Volumes greater than 50m³
C) in a Rural Production zone, and beyond 3 metres of any boundary or
water body, and that exceeds 1.5 metres in depth
D) in any Resource identified in Part 3 of the District Plan (e.g. Landscape
feature, site of cultural significance to Maori etc.)
The purpose of this bylaw is to control:
1) excavation, filling or cellar work on private property (where a Resource
Consent under the District Plan is not required), and
2) erosion and sedimentation created by such work.
If the resident's project requires excavation or filling work, it is advised that
they refer to Council’s bylaw, Chapter 22, Control of Earthworks.

How do I apply for an Earthworks Permit
Applications must be made on the Control of Earthworks – Permit Application
Form. Council may require further information once your application
has been lodged. Please contact the Duty Planner on 0800 920 029 if you
are unsure of the information to provide. Please ensure that your application
form is supported by all the information outlined below:
CHECKLIST:
Payment of the required deposit (Refer to the current Far North District
Council “Fees and Charges” Schedule available from Council
offices or the Council website www.fndc.govt.nz).
Fill out the Control of Earthworks – Permit Application Form and attach the
following:
Site plan/s, to scale, of the project showing:
□ location,
□ the scope of the project,
□ a description of works,
□ the existing topography, and
□ the proposed topography, including any existing watercourses or
overland flow path.
Evidence showing erosion and sediment controls to be introduced
for all work covered under the application, and evidence showing
compliance with Technical Publication 90 (TP90) of the Auckland
Regional Council.
Engineering reports, if necessary. For more information, refer to the
Far North District Council General Bylaws Chapter 22 “Control of
Earthworks 2008”.
Three copies of the completed application form and accompanying
information are required (including 1 full set of plans & 2 sets reduced
to A4).
You may wish to seek professional engineering assistance.
When should I apply for Resource Consent for
earthworks
Residents must apply for Resource Consent when they plan to carry out
activities that are not generally permitted under the Far North District Plan
and the Soil & Water Plan (from the Northland Regional Council).
Controls on earthworks are listed in the District Plan.
Examples of when an earthworks Resource Consent will be required include
but are not limited to:
Excavation and/or filling (excluding mining & quarrying) in the Rural
Production and Kauri Cliffs zones exceeding 5,000m 2 in any 12 month
period
Excavation and/or filling (excluding mining & quarrying) in the Rural
Living, Coastal Living, General Coastal, Recreational, Conservation,
Waimate North and Point Veronica zones exceeding 300m 2 in any 12
month period
Excavation and/or filling (excluding mining & quarrying) in the Residential,
Industrial, Horticultural Processing, Coastal Residential or Russell
Township zones exceeding 200m 2 in any 12 month period
Any earthworks with cut or fill face heights of over 1.5m 2 , in all zones
except mining and quarrying, or rural production.
Earthworks and/or filling (excluding mining and quarrying) in a Rural
Production zone which will result in a continuous cut or fill face exceeding
an average of 1.5m in height.
PLEASE NOTE
Pamphlets are intended to provide general
information on making an application.
They are not intended as legal documents and may
not be applicable in all circumstances.