Urban design certification : Christchurch City Council

The Christchurch District Plan contains rules that enable certain activities within Commercial Zones to be considered as controlled activities when an urban design certification is provided.

Urban design certification can only be provided by an expert who is on the Council’s Register of Approved Urban Design Experts for Certification.

The certification process is available in the City Centre, Central City Mixed Use (South Frame), Town Centre and Local Centre Zones where specified by rules. The standard resource consent process – where Council staff assess urban design matters – remains the default when a consent is required.

Where an applicant wishes to use the certification process, they must directly engage an urban design expert from the Council's register.

In the urban design certification process, the urban design expert must certify that the development meets each of the urban design provisions/outcomes set out in the rule. They must provide sufficient detail demonstrating how the provisions are met.

Experts must operate with professional integrity, and there should be no expectation that they will be able to certify a proposal if it does not meet the requirements.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact our Duty Planner.