8 - Compliance with other Building Act requirements
Purpose
To examine the Council's performance on a range of other building control operations required by the Building Act that are not specifically covered under the other terms of reference.
Background
The on-site review examined how the Council was undertaking its legislative responsibilities in relation to the following areas.
- Restrictions and limitations on building consents
- Dangerous and insanitary buildings (sections 121 and 123)
- Earthquake-prone buildings (section 122)
Findings
Restrictions and limitations on building consents
The Building Act contains a number of provisions that require or empower a territorial authority or building consent authority to place restrictions or limitations on building consents or to advise or seek input from other parties on building consent matters. The Department found that the Council was aware of its legislative responsibilities in these areas and has developed processes and procedures for dealing with them in accordance with Act requirements.
Dangerous and insanitary buildings
The Department found that the Council has clear policy and procedures in place for dealing with dangerous and insanitary buildings as required by sections 131-132 of the Building Act 2004.
Earthquake-prone buildings
The Department found that the Council had developed a formal policy and procedure for earthquake-prone buildings, as required by section 131 of the Building Act 2004.
The Council had also established a database collating relevant information held by the Council to identify buildings that require further assessment to determine whether they are earthquake-prone. At the time of the on-site review, a desktop review had reduced the number of potentially earthquake-prone buildings from 8,000 to approximately 3,700. The Council was planning to undertake assessments of these buildings over the next 3 years and to re-issue earthquake-prone building notices issued under the former Building Act 1991.
No recommendations were made under these terms of reference during the review.
Conclusion
The Department is satisfied that the Council is meeting its responsibilities in these areas.