Auckland Unitary Plan Residential Controls – Single Housing zone

When you are looking at the Auckland Unitary Plan zone rules that will impact your property, it is important to check both the controls and the rules.  You can see the rules for the Auckland Unitary Plan Zone Rules here.

If you are making important financial decisions based on the Auckland Unitary Plan it is highly recommended that you speak to Town Planning at Auckland City Council or a Registered Surveyor.

Below are the rules from the Unitary plan rule book for the Single Housing Zone.

6. Development Controls – Single House zone

6.1 Development control infringements

1. Buildings that infringe three or more of the following development controls are a discretionary activity:
   1. building height
   2. height in relation to boundary
   3. yards
   4. maximum impervious area
   5. building coverage
   6. landscaping.

6.2 Building height

Purpose: manage the height of buildings to maintain the low density suburban residential character of the zone (one to two storeys).

1. Buildings must not exceed 8m in height.

6.3 Height in relation to boundary

Purpose: manage the height and bulk of buildings at boundaries to limit over-shadowing of neighbouring sites and provide space between buildings.

1. Buildings must not exceed a height of 2.5m measured vertically above ground level at side and rear boundaries. Thereafter, buildings must be setback 1m for every additional metre in height (45 degrees).

Figure 3: Height in relation to boundary

2. This control does not apply to a boundary adjoining:
   1. industrial zones
   2. centres and mixed use zones
   3. General Business zone
   4. Business Park zone
   5. sites within the public open space zones exceeding 2000m².
3. Where the boundary forms part of a legal right of way, pedestrian access way, or access site, the control applies from the farthest boundary of that legal right of way, pedestrian access way or access lot.
4. A gable end or dormer may project beyond the recession plane where it is:
   1. no greater than 1m in height and width measured parallel to the nearest adjacent boundary
   2. no greater than 1m in depth measured horizontally at 90 degrees to the nearest adjacent boundary.

Figure 4: Exceptions for gable ends and dormers

5. No more than two gable end or dormer projections are allowed for every 6m length of site boundary.

6.4 Yards

Purpose: maintain the spacious and landscaped qualities of the streetscape and ensure dwellings are adequately set back from lakes, streams and the coastal edge to maintain water quality and provide protection from natural hazards.

Table 4:

6.5 Common walls

Purpose: enable attached dwellings, where that pattern of development exists or where neighbours agree.

1. The height in relation to boundary and yards development controls do not apply where there is an existing common wall between two buildings on adjacent sites or where a common wall is proposed.

6.6 Maximum impervious area

Purpose: manage the amount of stormwater runoff generated by a development.

1. Maximum impervious area: 60 per cent.
2. Maximum impervious area within a riparian yard: 10 per cent.

6.7 Building coverage

Purpose: maintain the low density suburban residential character of the zone.

1. Maximum building coverage: 35 per cent.

6.8 Landscaping

Purpose:

• provide for on-site amenity and an attractive streetscape character
• improve stormwater absorption on-site.

1. At least 40 per cent of a site must comprise landscaped area of which a minimum of 10 per cent must be planted with shrubs, including at least one tree that is pB95 or larger at the time of planting.
2. At least 50 per cent of the front yard must comprise landscaped area.

6.9 Outdoor living space

Purpose: provide dwellings with outdoor living space that is of a usable size and dimension and is consistent with the spacious qualities of the zone and is accessible from the principal living room.

1. A dwelling must have an outdoor living space measuring at least 80m² that:
   1. is free of buildings, parking spaces, servicing and manoeuvring areas
   2. excludes any area with a dimension less than 1m.
2. Where a dwelling has the principal living room at ground level, part of the required outdoor living space must be able to contain a delineated area measuring at least 20m² that:
   1. has no dimension less than 4m
   2. is directly accessible from the principal living room
   3. has a gradient not exceeding 1 in 20.
3. Where a dwelling has the principal living room above ground level, part of the required outdoor living space must include a balcony or roof terrace that:
   1. is directly accessible from the principal living room
   2. has a minimum area of 8m²
   3. has a minimum depth of 2.4m.

6.10 Fences

Purpose: enhance passive surveillance of the street and maintain the open character of front yards.

1. Fences in a front yard must not exceed a height of 1.6m.

Figure 5: Fences within the front yard

6.11 Garages

Purpose: ensure garages are not a dominant feature of the streetscape.

1. A garage door facing a street must be no greater than 40 per cent of the width of the front facade of the dwelling to which the garage relates.
2. Garage doors must not project forward of the front façade of a dwelling.

6.12 Universal access

Purpose: medium to large-scale residential development provides equal physical access and use for people of all ages and abilities.

1. Where a new building or development contains 10 or more dwellings, 20 per cent of those dwellingsmust comply with the following:
   1. doorways must have a minimum clear opening width of 810mm
   2. stairwells must have a minimum width of 900mm
   3. corridors must have a minimum width of 1050mm
   4. the principal means of access from the frontage, or the parking space serving the dwelling, to the principal entrance of the dwelling must have:
      1. a minimum width of 1.2m
      2. a maximum slope of 1:20
      3. a maximum cross fall of 1:50.

2. Where the calculation of the dwellings required to be universally accessible results in a fractional dwelling, any fraction that is less than one-half will be disregarded and any fraction of one-half or more will be counted as one dwelling.
3. All dwellings required to be universally accessible must provide at least one parking space for people with a disability. The dimensions and accessible route requirements for such parking spaces are detailed in Section 5.5 of the New Zealand Building Code D1/AS1 New Zealand Standard for Design for Access and Mobility – Buildings and Associated Facilities (NZS 4121-2001).