It is now less than 12 months until the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act is set to expire. That timing will also coincide, more or less, with the expiry of the temporary resource consents that were issued by the Christchurch City Council following the 2011 earthquakes that enabled businesses, in particular, to relocate within Living (residential) zones or other non-business zones.

A feature of these consents in that they do not create any existing use rights. Once they expire the activity will not comply with the City Plan unless a replacement resource consent has been obtained or there has been a zoning change under the Christchurch Replacement District Plan process.

If you are operating your business under a temporary consent issued post-earthquakes and are unsure as to its status or what will happen after it expires, our Resource Management Team may be able to assist.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.