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Portlink update: 23 December 2024
The environment court has made an interim decision on whether container stacks at the Portlink Industrial Park are buildings and, therefore, subject to the 11m building height limit.
The Court's interim decision is that container storage/transit activity (either individually or stacked), as currently undertaken on this particular site, is not in the District Plan's definition of buildings.
As a result of this decision, there is no limit under the District Plan on the height at which containers can be stacked at the Portlink site.
The owner must comply with the conditions of the resource consent previously granted by the Council. These include landscaping, a noise management plan and subdivision conditions.
The Court will issue its final decision next year after further work by the parties' lawyers on detailed drafting recommendations for the Court's Declarations.
Interim decision [PDF, 424 KB]
RMA/2024/517 s357 objection hearing live stream
Resource consent RMA/2022/3611
An independent commissioner has granted the resource consent for Portlink Industrial Park as a non-notified application.
Appeal rights
Resource consent
The applicant lodged an objection under the Resource Management Act to the conditions imposed under the resource consent. The objection was considered by an Independent Commissioner and was upheld.
As a result:
- The noise conditions have been removed and the applicant has instead volunteered a condition which requires the container operator of the site to undertake a noise management plan. There is still provision in the consent for the 2.4-metre acoustic fence, as well as a requirement to comply with the District Plan's noise standards.
- A condition that restricted shipping containers and/or buildings to a height of 11 metres has been amended so that it applies to buildings only. Whether containers are deemed to be a building and subject to the 11-metre height limit is the subject of an application for a declaration made to the Environment Court.
Because the Independent Commissioner has made a decision about the objection, the consent is now operative and the applicant is required to comply with the updated conditions.
Certificate of Compliance
The applicant has also appealed the decisions to decline the certificates of compliance and to issue an abatement notice that requires the applicant to comply with District Plan Rules as they relate to building height in the zone. The applicant has applied to the Environment Court for an Order that the abatement notice not be enforced until after the appeals are decided by the Court.
Environment Court Declaration
The Portlink Industrial Park occupier and the landowner have filed in Court a request for the Court to make a declaration in the correct interpretation of the District Plan – in particular, whether containers are within the definition of a building. If they are, they are subject to the rules in the District Plan that apply to buildings, including maximum permitted heights.
The Council asked the Court to direct that the applications for declarations should be served on the neighbouring property owners.
The Environment Court has decided that service on those directly affected by the application should not go more widely than the Council.
Please note the sole issue in this declaration case is the legal interpretation question of whether stacked containers are in the definition of building in the District Plan. Other concerns – such as noise, lights, hours of operation, vibrations, or the Council’s enforcement practices – are not considered in this case.
View a copy of the Environment Court’s decision [PDF, 186 KB].
Get in touch and stay updated
Our compliance staff are responding to complaints and answering queries. If you have an urgent complaint about operations on the site such as noise, please phone 03 941 8999.
If you have any questions about the Resource Consent process, please contact Mark Stevenson, Head of Planning and Consents: Mark.Stevenson@ccc.govt.nz or 03 941 5583.
Resource Consent application resources
Download a copy of the amended application [PDF, 30 MB].
Combined subdivision and land use application:
- RMA/2024/517 - Application Original - Section 357A - 320-320A Cumnor Terrace - 22 March 2024 [PDF, 23 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Decision report and approved plans - 5 March 2024 [PDF, 24 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - s95 s104 combined report for amended application - 22 December 2023 [PDF, 1.1 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Memo - Application update - 2 November 2023 [PDF, 98 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Email from applicant’s agent – Request to put the application on hold 14/08/2023 [PDF, 1.1 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Email from processing planner to applicant’s agent – s95 and recommendation summary [PDF, 815 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Appendix 8 - Summary of concerns from the community [PDF, 52 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Appendix 7 - Acoustic peer review [PDF, 185 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Appendix 6 - Environmental health assessment - Agnes van der Erf [PDF, 208 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Appendix 5 - Earthworks assessment - Yvonne McDonald [PDF, 31 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Appendix 4 - Flooding assessment - Sheryl Keenan [PDF, 13 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Appendix 3 - Ecological and park assessments [PDF, 362 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Appendix 2 - Landscape peer review and assessment [PDF, 83 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Appendix 2 - Landscape peer review and assessment - Braeburn Property Ltd Portlink A3 Graphics [PDF, 15 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Appendix 1 - Summary of consents on the underlying land [PDF, 14 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - S95 Notification recommendation report [PDF, 1.4 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Second request for further information [PDF, 1.2 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - 320 Cumnor Terrace Kennaway PC28 - Hearing evidence of Dr Peter Harper for Kennaway Park Joint Venture Partnership [PDF, 611 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Request for further information [PDF, 47 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Addendum to request for further information [PDF, 316 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Response to request for further information [PDF, 29 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Noise assessment [PDF, 1.7 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Responses to requests for further information (19 April 2023, 08 May 2023, and 11 May 2023) [PDF, 5.1 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Request for further information and landscape assessment - Email [PDF, 1.4 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Request for further information and landscape assessment - Attachment 1 [PDF, 714 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Request for further information and landscape assessment - Attachment 2 [PDF, 18 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Request for further information - 26 May 2023 [PDF, 1.5 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Timeframes email [PDF, 51 KB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Request for further information - 320A Cumnor Terrace [PDF, 15 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Response to further information request [PDF, 2.2 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Additional commentary from the applicant [PDF, 16 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Amended Application [PDF, 78 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Container Yard Noise Assessment - Issue B [PDF, 1.9 MB]
- RMA/2022/3611 - Container Yard Noise Assessment - Issue C (20 October 2023) [PDF, 1.9 MB]
Relevant applications
Certificate of Compliance applications:
- RMA/2023/2806 - Application for Certificate of Compliance 320 and 320A Cumnor Terrace [PDF, 4.4 MB]
- RMA/2023/3100 - Application original - Certificate of Compliance 320 and 320A Cumnor Terrace [PDF, 4.7 MB]
- RMA/2023/3102 - Application original - Certificate of Compliance 320 and 320A Cumnor Terrace [PDF, 4.7 MB]
Certificate of Compliance Decision: