The Cats' Protection League Canterbury 14-18 Charlesworth St Woolston - Shaping the future since 1880
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Application for Land Use Consent
The Cats’ Protection League Canterbury
14-18 Charlesworth St • Woolston
July 2014
Shaping the future since 1880
Form 9: Application for Resource Consent
Under Section 88, Resource Management Act 1991
To Christchurch City Council
1. The Cats Protection League Canterbury (Inc.) applies for the resource consent described below:
A land use consent to redevelop/extend their existing cattery as described below:
Relocation of main cattery:
to establish and operate a new cattery at 14 Charlesworth Street involving a new cattery
building, associated office and car parking.
Redevelopment of Existing Cattery Site at 18 Charlesworth Street:
to replace the existing dwelling with a 3 bedroom dwelling,
to replace the existing cattery buildings with a single cattery building with a walk way
connection to the new cattery at 14 Charlesworth Street. The sanctuary cattery building at the
rear of the site and the garage will be retained.
Refer to attached assessment of effects and supporting materials for more information.
2. The names and addresses of the owner and occupier (other than the applicant) of land to which the
application relates are as follows:
The applicant owns and occupies 18 Charlesworth St site. The applicant will purchase 14 Charlesworth
St property in the near future. Sharon and Michael Grieve currently own 14 Charlesworth St site.
3. The location to which this application relates is:
Street Address: 14 Charlesworth Street, Woolston 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolston
Legal Description: Lot 5 DP 13242 Lot 4 DP 13242
Certificate of Title: CB500/137 CB500/132
Land area: 1145m2 1145m2
4. No additional resource consents are required for the proposal.
5. Attached, in accordance with the Fourth Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991, is an
Assessment of Environmental Effects in the detail that corresponds with the scale and significance of
the effects that the proposed activity may have on the environment.
6. This is not an application for a subdivision consent
7. No additional information is required to be supplied by the district or regional plans, the Act or
regulations.
DATED: 4 August 2014
(Signature of applicant or person authorised to sign on behalf)
Address For Service: Address For Applicant And For All Council Fees:
Cats Protection League Canterbury Cats Protection League Canterbury
C/- Davie Lovell-Smith Limited PO Box 32047
P O Box 679 Linwood
Christchurch 8140 Christchurch 8147
Attention: Kasuni Thewarapperuma Attention: Sandra Leys
Phone: (03) 379 0793 Phone: 348 0057
Email: kasuni@dls.co.nz Email: leys@xtra.co.nz
Appendices
A Development Plan
B Certificate of Title
C Written Approvals
The Cats Protection League Canterbury
Assessment of Effects on the Environment
1. Introduction
Section 88(2)(b) of the Resource Management Act 1991 requires that any application for a resource
consent should include an assessment of any actual or potential effects that the activity may have on
the environment and the ways in which any adverse effects may be mitigated. Section 88(2)(b)
requires that any assessment shall be in such detail as corresponds with the scale and significance of
the actual or potential effects that the activity may have on the environment and shall be prepared in
accordance with the Fourth Schedule to the Resource Management Act 1991. This assessment is
made in accordance with those requirements.
2. Description Of The Proposal
2.1 Background Information
The Cats' Protection League Canterbury was founded by Ruby Austin and incorporated in 1973. The
current cattery was established behind what was Ruby Austin’s home at 18 Charlesworth Street. In
addition to the cattery, a shop at 475 Worcester Street sells donated goods five days a week and
houses the current office. The Cats Protection League (CPL) undertakes a wide range of activities for
the welfare of cats such as:
Rescuing/taking in cats and kittens, including the provision of food, shelter and veterinary
assistance;
Encouraging owners of cats and kittens to have their animals spayed and neutered;
Finding suitable homes for healthy stray cats and kittens;
Providing for the humane destruction of cats and kittens when necessary;
Giving advice and help to owners of cats and kittens and
Promoting public awareness of the need for spaying and neutering.
Generally, cats are taken to a vet clinic, where they will be vaccinated, treated and desexed as
necessary. Then the cats are taken to a fosterer, where the cats are assessed for their suitability prior
to being sent to the cattery. On rare occasions, the cats are taken directly to the cattery from the vet.
From the cattery, the cats are then adopted out. Usual stay for cats 2-3 months, while the longest
period of time a cat has remained at the cattery is about 2 years.
The cattery at 18 Charlesworth Street is behind the house and is made up of various buildings. The
cattery currently has consent to accommodate up to 40 cats. The main run has an outside enclosure
which allows the cats to run around on the grass. The other areas provide care for scared or needy
cats, a teenage run, an area for old or unhomeable cats (the sanctuary), sheds and a run for cats that
do not like each other. The latter run also has two isolation pens for sick cats and outside enclosures.
The League is run by a committee and is a registered charity with Inland Revenue and the Charities
Commission. Their income is mainly from the sale of donated goods in the opportunity shop in
Worcester Street, donations, small charges for the sale of cats and kittens, collection boxes, stalls and
bequests.
Cats Protection League 1
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolston
The League employs some staff in the office (Worcester Street) with the balance of the required work
covered by volunteers. The cattery itself is staffed mainly by volunteers (ranging from 4 to 7 volunteers
at a time) with a FTE supervisor/ manager, one of whom may live on site on a permanent basis. The
supervisor/manager and volunteers feed the cats, clean the runs and wash trays and other equipment.
The cattery is currently open to the public from 11am to 2.30pm Tuesday to Friday and Sunday, and
from 11am to 3pm on Saturdays. It is closed to the public on Mondays and some Public Holidays. The
site generally expects up to 10 cars (visitors) maximum per day.
The existing buildings and facilities at 18 Charlesworth Street require rebuilding due to earthquake
damage. Also, it has come to their attention that in the period immediately following the
earthquakes that there was a dramatic spike in cats needing shelter, so they consider it prudent to
extend the operation to accommodate for future high demand events.
To this end, the League has undertaken an extensive search over several years for an alternative
site (including public appeals for suitable land through The Press). They were unable to find a
suitable site elsewhere within a reasonable price bracket. Fortunately, the neighbours have offered
their property at 14 Charlesworth Street (adjoining the existing cattery) and the League is currently
in the process of purchasing this site in order to expand the existing site.
2.2 Proposal
For the reasons outlined above, the League seeks to redevelop and expand their existing cattery,
which will be carried out as follows:
Replace existing house at 18 Charlesworth Street with a new 3 bedroom residential unit.
Retain existing sanctuary (at the rear boundary) and the storeroom (on northern boundary) at
18 Charlesworth Street.
Replace existing cattery with a new cattery building incorporating a staff meeting room on 18
Charlesworth Street.
Erect new cattery/office building on 14 Charlesworth Street after the removal of existing
buildings on site. This building will connect to the cattery building on 18 Charlesworth St via a
link way.
The new buildings will sit on a gravel raft which will raise the ground floor level to 11.8m above
Christchurch City Datum.
The manager or a caretaker will live in the residential unit on a permanent basis. In addition to this,
between 4 and 7 volunteers will also work on site and may also use the accommodation as required.
The workers will be available to help the members of the public who will be coming in for assistance,
surrendering cats, and other general inquiries relating to cats.
The cattery will have the capacity to accommodate up to 100 cats (maximum) to allow for the
occasional peak events such as the kitten season and natural disasters when the number of cats
brought in could increase significantly. The numbers will not reach this maximum on a regular basis. As
noted above, cats are generally on site for an average of 2-3 months at a time.
Opening Hours
The new opening hours for the facilities is not finalised at this stage. It is anticipated that the cattery
and the associated office will be open to the public from 10am to 4pm per day. Overall, the cattery is
Cats Protection League 2
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolston
expected to be open to the public for 42 hours per week at most. Note that it may be open on some
public holidays.
Access and Parking
The activities on the two lots will complement each other in its operation. 18 Charlesworth Street
will be generally for caring for cats and used by staff only. The public access will be to 14
Charlesworth Street site, where the main administration and the main cat caging area which will
hold cats available for adoption.
The main parking area is located on 14 Charlesworth Street, catering predominantly for public
parking. 18 Charlesworth St site will be used by staff, with overflow staff parking to occur in the
public parking area. 6 car parks are proposed on 14 Charlesworth St site, which will cater for public
parking for both sites. The 3-bedroom residential unit is provided with a two-car garage with the
ability for tandem parking to occur. A new vehicle crossing will be constructed for 14 Charlesworth
Street site and the existing crossing for 18 Charlesworth Street site will be retained.
Refer Site Plans contained in Appendix A for more information.
3. Description Of The Environment
3.1 Property Involved
The property involved is located at 14 and 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolston. The sites are legally
described as Lot 5 DP 13242 and Lot 4 DP 13242, held in Certificates of Title CB500/137 and CB500/132
respectively. Refer Appendix B for a copy of the Certificate of Title.
The 18 Charlesworth St houses the existing cattery. It currently contains a dwelling facing the road and
the cattery buildings to the rear of the site. The 14 Charlesworth St site currently contains a dwelling
and associated accessory buildings.
3.2 Surrounding Environment
The immediate surrounding environment is generally residential in nature, particularly towards the
north, west and south. The rear boundary of the application sites (i.e. south-eastern boundary) adjoins
the Woolston Fire Service & Training Centre which is accessed off Olds Place and Ferry Road. In the
wider area, the Ferrymead business area and Charlesworth Reserve are located towards the
east/southeast.
4. Plan Assessment
4.1 Zoning
The site is zoned Living 1 and is subject to a Flood Management Area (FMA) overlay.
4.2 Rules
The proposal complies with all relevant rules outlined in the City Plan as outlined in the Tables
below. For clarity and ease of assessment, we have outlined the compliance with the City Plan in
terms of individual allotments.
Cats Protection League 3
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolston
18 Charlesworth Street – Proposed Development on Existing Site
Rule Compliance Comment
Living Zone: Development Standards
2.2.2 Open space: Living 1 Zone Overall site coverage for both sites is 37.2%
35% unless all buildings are single Site coverage for 18 Charlesworth St site is 39%
storey and does not exceed 5.5m, All the buildings are single storey and less than 5.5m in height.
then 40%
2.2.3 Building height - residential
and other activities: 8m
2.2.4 Sunlight and outlook for The recession planes are exceeded for the new buildings on 18
neighbours - residential and other Charlesworth Street (i.e. residential unit and the smaller cattery
activities: recession planes apply building) at the south-western boundary. Note that this is internal
from 2.3m to the proposal.
2.2.5 Street scene: 4.5m There is no public parking located on this site. The front yard up to
Minimum height of screening for 5.143m is planted with trees and lawn.
parking/outdoor storage areas: No outdoor storage is proposed.
1.8m. landscaped, minimum 1.5m
wide landscaping
2.2.6 Separation from neighbours: The proposed residential unit is 1.51m and the linkway will be
Minimum 1.8m from internal placed across the two lots on the southern boundary. This is
boundary. internal to the proposal.
The sanctuary is located on the northern boundary of 18
Charlesworth St site; this is an existing building.
2.2.7 Continuous building length: The proposed residential unit is 28.68m. Required number of
ridgelines & parapets steps on the ridgelines are not provided
2.2.8 Continuous building length - The proposed residential unit is 28.68m long, therefore exceeds
exterior walls the exemption for single storey buildings by 0.68m. Therefore it
must provide 2 steps. While one step is provided on the northern
boundary, this does not meet the 2m depth and 2m length
requirement.
2.2.13 Screening from neighbours Frontage of the site will be landscaped. Parking will mainly occur
- other activities within the garage. No storage areas are proposed.
2.2.14 Restrictions on outdoor All activities relating to the cattery are undertaken within a
activities building.
2.2.15 Retailing No retail activity will occur from this site.
Living Zone: Community Standards
2.3.1 Scale of activity - other a. It is proposed that up to 62% of buildings are used for non-
2
activities residential activities. Maximum allowed is lesser of 40m or 30%
of the gross floor area of all buildings on the site.
b. up to 4-7 volunteers and one permanent supervisor will be on
the site at any time. This is a total over both sites. The supervisor
will use the residential unit as permanent accommodation and
volunteers will also use it as required.
2
2.3.2 Site size - other activities: The site is 1145m in area.
2
1100m max.
2.3.3 Hours of operation - other Activity associated with 18 Charlesworth site will not be open to
activities the public.
2.3.4 Traffic generation - other The site has frontage to a Local Road. The supervisor will live on
activities site. There will be up to 7 volunteers working at this site and the
Cats Protection League 4
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolston
Rule Compliance Comment
Sites accessed from a Local Road: adjoining site at one time. If half park on this site then the
resulting vehicle movements per day for 18 Charlesworth Street is
17. This includes the residential activity.
2.3.6 Building size and separation - a. The largest single building is the residential unit which is
2
residential and other activities 168m in gross floor area.
2
b. The dwelling (168m ) and the B.2 building (128m ) are
2
located more than 4m from each other. The existing
sanctuary and the B.2 building are however located closer
than 3.6m to each other.
2.3.7 Residential coherence - The supervisor will live on site on a permanent basis
other activities
Living Zone: Critical Standards
2.4.3 Open space - residential and Complies. See Rule 2.2.2 above.
other activities
2.4.4 Building height - residential Complies. See Rule 2.2.3 above.
and other activities
2.4.5 Retailing - other activities No retail activity will occur from this site.
2.4.6 Boarding of animals - other Up to 100 cats are proposed to be housed over both sites. Actual
activities number on each site will vary, however it will exceed 4 animals
per site.
General City Rules: Filling and Excavation in Flood Management Areas (FMA)
The erection of any building in a Living zone within a FMA is a Restricted Discretionary Activity. Note that
filling to raise the floor levels to minimum required levels are exempt from this rule.
Transport
Parking - Not assessed due to there being no relevant classification that is
similar to the proposed activity.
Access Existing vehicle crossing width 4m;
One crossing per site is provided.
14 Charlesworth Street – New Cattery Premises
Rule Compliance Comment
Living Zone: Development Standards
2.2.2 Open space: Living 1 Zone Overall site coverage is 37.2%. The site coverage for 14
35% unless all buildings are single Charlesworth St site is 35.1%.
storey and does not exceed 5.5m, All the buildings are single storey and less than 5.5m in height.
then 40%
2.2.3 Building height - residential
and other activities: 8m
2.2.4 Sunlight and outlook for Complies.
neighbours - residential and other
activities: recession planes apply
from 2.3m
2.2.5 Street scene: 4.5m Parking area is screened by a 1.5m wide landscaping strip which
Minimum height of screening for includes trees.
parking/outdoor storage areas: No outdoor storage proposed.
1.8m. landscaped, minimum 1.5m
Cats Protection League 5
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolston
Rule Compliance Comment
wide landscaping
2.2.6 Separation from neighbours: Complies.
Minimum 1.8m from internal
boundary.
2.2.7 Continuous building length: The proposed building is 42.46m. Required steps on the
ridgelines & parapets ridgelines are not provided.
2.2.8 Continuous building length - Two steps are provided on each side of the building: one at the
exterior walls lobby and one near the rear. The length of the longest
continuous wall is 22m.
2.2.13 Screening from neighbours - Parking and storage areas are screened by fences and
other activities landscaping at least 1.5m wide
2.2.14 Restrictions on outdoor All activities relating to the cattery are undertaken within a
activities building.
2.2.15 Retailing There is an element of retail activity on the site where cats
eligible for adoption are sold to the public for a small charge. The
primary purpose of this revenue is for charitable purposes.
Living Zone: Community Standards
2.3.1 Scale of activity - other a. It is proposed that 100% buildings in 14 Charlesworth St site be
activities used for non-residential activities.
b. up to 4-7 volunteers and one permanent supervisor will be on
the site at any time. This is a total over both sites.
2
2.3.2 Site size - other activities: The total site is 1145m in area.
2
1100m max.
2.3.3 Hours of operation - other It is anticipated that the cattery and the associated office will be
activities open to the public from 10am to 4pm per day. Overall, it is
anticipated that the cattery will be open to the public for 42
hours per week at most. Note that it may be open on some
public holidays.
2.3.4 Traffic generation - other The site has frontage to a Local Road. The proposal generates
activities between 0-10 visitors or up to 20 vehicle movements per day,
Sites accessed from a Local Road: which will be exclusively on 14 Charlesworth Street site. There
32 vehicle movements per day may be some staff parking on this site. So up to 27 vehicle
movements are anticipated for this site.
Note that the total vehicle movements for both sites are
estimated at 34. Half the staff vehicle movements have been
applied to this site and half to 18 Charlesworth St (above).
2
2.3.6 Building size and separation - The building is 402m in gross floor area. No other buildings are
residential and other activities on this site.
2.3.7 Residential coherence - other While the supervisor will live on the residential unit associated
activities with the cattery, the residential unit is not on 14 Charlesworth St
Living Zone: Critical Standards
2.4.3 Open space - residential and Complies. See Rule 2.2.2 above.
other activities
2.4.4 Building height - residential Complies. See Rule 2.2.3 above.
and other activities
2.4.5 Retailing - other activities There is an element of retail activity where cats eligible for
adoption are sold to the public for a small charge. However, it
should be noted that any profits will fund CPL’s function as an
animal welfare charity.
2.4.6 Boarding of animals - other Up to 100 cats are proposed to be over both sites. Actual number
Cats Protection League 6
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, WoolstonRule Compliance Comment
activities on each site will vary, however it will exceed 4 animals per site.
General City Rules: Filling and Excavation in Flood Management Areas (FMA)
The erection of any building in a Living zone within a FMA is a Restricted Discretionary Activity. Note that
filling to raise the floor levels to minimum required levels are exempt from this rule.
Transport
Parking - Not assessed due to there being no relevant classification that is
similar to the proposed activity.
Access Vehicle crossing width is 6m (14 Charlesworth)
One crossing per site is provided.
4.3 Status of the Activity
18 Charlesworth Street
Requires consent for a restricted discretionary activity for matters relating to recession planes,
separation from neighbours, continuous ridgelines and building length, and erecting buildings
in a Flood Management Area.
Requires consent for a discretionary activity for matters relating to scale of activity, site size
and building separation.
Requires consent for a non-complying activity for boarding more than 4 animals.
14 Charlesworth Street
Requires consent for a restricted discretionary activity for matters relating to continuous
building and ridgeline length, and building in a Flood Management Area.
Requires consent for a discretionary activity for matters relating to scale of activity, site size
and residential coherence.
Requires consent for a non-complying activity for boarding more than 4 animals and retailing.
Overall, the proposal can be assessed as a Non-Complying Activity.
5. Assessment Of Actual Or Potential Effects On The Environment
5.1 Effect On The Surrounding Environment
The surrounding environment is predominantly residential in nature, characterised by single and two
storey residential buildings facing the street. The land to the south east of the application site is the
Woolston Fire Service and Training Centre, which can be accessed off Olds Place as well as from Ferry
Road. Ferrymead business area is located beyond the Fire Service land.
As the CPL serves a charitable role throughout the City, it does not strictly fit in with the City Plan’s
policy of community activities being located directly within the area which it serves. However, it is
considered locating the facility in a business area or a rural area is not feasible for several reasons:
Many of cats needing care originate from the suburbs and therefore it is more convenient for CPL
to be located in the urban area to be accessible to people who cannot travel far (i.e. the elderly or
disabled or those without access to a convenient mode of transport)
Business areas may not necessarily be an ideal environment for the animals due to unsafe
characteristics of these zones such as heavy traffic, fumes and higher noise
The site retains an element of residential activity, therefore a business zone is not appropriate
Cats Protection League 7
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, WoolstonA rural area is also considered to be not appropriate given that the CPL should ideally be located in
a place that is close to the urban area and convenient to those who require CPL’s services.
Notwithstanding the reasoning above, the cattery in its current form is compatible with the
surrounding residential use, located behind an existing residence with a discreet sign directing people
to the site. While the proposed expansion of the cattery to the adjoining property will alter the existing
residential environment, the new cattery buildings are designed to be sympathetic to the environment
and to a high visual standard. The street frontage will remain dominated by open space and the car
park area screened by landscaping. There will be no activities occurring outdoors which will detract
from the residential amenity of surrounding sites. On 18 Charlesworth Street site, the residential unit
will be located facing and near the street frontage and maintains the continuity of residences along the
street.
The effect on the amenity and the surrounding environment is discussed in further detail throughout
the assessment of effects below. The assessment below is split into two main categories: first is in
terms of the physical characteristics of the proposed buildings and second in terms of the nature of the
activity.
5.2 Physical Characteristics
The proposed buildings are single storey and consistent with a residential building profile when viewed
from the street. The buildings that will face the street are the residential unit and the main office
building which will maintain the pleasantness and coherence and attractiveness whilst providing
passive surveillance to the Living Zone. All activities associated with the cattery will be undertaken
inside a building. A combination of landscaping and fencing along the street frontage will provide
additional screening from neighbours and the public areas visible from the street.
The proposed buildings are generally consistent with what could be expected from a permitted
residential activity in terms of building height, site coverage and street scene, although a new dwelling
on the rear of this site may well be positioned closer to the southern boundary than the proposed
cattery building which is setback 3.6m. The proposal does not comply with the rules relating to the
continuous building length/ ridges and parapets, recession planes and site setbacks. The design of
the proposal is the result of balancing facility requirements with the site restrictions. The proposed
buildings are single-storey and designed to be consistent with the surrounding residential areas in
terms of visual impact. The recession plane and site setback infringements are limited to 18
Charlesworth Street site, on the shared boundary with 14 Charlesworth St site. The hard surfacing
areas that are visible from public areas will be largely limited to the car park at 14 Charlesworth
Street property. The front yard of both sites will be landscaped.
5.2.1 Continuous building/ridgeline length
The residential unit on 18 Charlesworth Street (referred to as the northern site) and the main
building on 14 Charlesworth Street (referred to as the southern site) are over 20m in length and do
not have the required ‘steps’. The purpose of the continuous building/parapet length rules is to
mitigate the visual effects of large bulky buildings on adjacent properties by providing visual variety
and relief. Due to the relatively narrow sites and facility requirements, it is difficult to achieve the
required ‘steps’ for the proposed buildings whilst maintaining its functionality. The proposal does
provide a level of mitigation to the neighbouring properties by ensuring that the buildings which
are longer than 20m are all set well back from the neighbours’ being 3.6m from the southern
boundary of the southern site and 6m from northern boundary of the northern site. In addition
recession plane requirements are complied with in relation to these nearest neighbours.
Cats Protection League 8
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, WoolstonThe new cattery building on the southern site has a continuous wall length of 25 from the store at
the front of the building through to the opening between cages 6 (front set of cages) and 1 (rear set
of cages). The length between this opening and the eastern extent of the building is approximately
10m. The roof line is constructed for the full length of the building with no breaks. The length of
this building will be seen by residents of 1 Old Place and Units 1 and 2 of 3 Olds Place. On the basis
of aerial photos and a site visit it appears that the existing house at 14 Charlesworth Street is
relatively close to the southern boundary with 1 and 3 Olds Place. In addition there is an
outbuilding on the boundary with the front unit at 3 Olds Place. In these circumstances the new
building has the advantage of being set back 3.6m from the boundary and has no potential to
shade the houses or outdoor areas of 1 and 3 Olds Place. The façade of the cattery facing these
properties generally comprises galvanised steel woven mesh, powder coated. The remainder of the
walls are shiplap boarding. So while there is not a great variety of cladding, the change between the
two types of cladding along the southern wall of the cattery provides a degree of visual interest and
helps break up the length – refer southern elevation B-1 (Drawing number A2.01) in Appendix A.
The long length of the replacement dwelling on the northern site will be largely experienced by
users of the southern cattery site. As the two sites will be functioning largely as a single site, the
impact is not considered to be of significance. The non-complying length of the southern wall
length of the cattery on the southern site is 22m before the step and so is only 2m longer than is
permitted. The visual effect from the public areas (i.e. from the street) is minimal as the site only
presents the ‘shorter’ side of the buildings, bulk of which will be similar to the appearance of a
complying residential unit.
5.2.2 Setbacks
Two buildings are located closer than 1.8m from the boundaries. The sanctuary located at the
north-eastern corner of the site is an existing building and the proposed residential unit is 1.5m
from the southern boundary, adjacent to the southern site. Given this, the effects arising from
setbacks are either existing or internal to the proposal itself and will have no effects on the
adjoining residents.
5.2.3 Recession Planes
The residential unit and the small cattery building new buildings proposed 18 Charlesworth Street
will exceed the recession plane requirement at the south-western boundary. This recession plane
breach is internal to the proposal; therefore no neighbours will be affected. There are no bedrooms
or offices along this boundary. The combined dining and lounge areas of the dwelling do face this
boundary; however, the dwelling is ‘one-room-deep’ and has northern exposure on the complying
side, allowing it access to plenty of all day sun.
Overall, when considered as a whole, the visual effects imposed by the proposed buildings on the
existing residential amenity are considered to be minimal. Any effects relating to setbacks and
recession planes are internal to the proposal. It is considered that there will be no visual dominance
or amenity effects imposed on the neighbourhood as a result of this activity. It is therefore the nature
of activity which requires consideration, which is discussed in turn below.
5.3 Effects of the Activity
5.3.1 Current Operational Effects
The CPL has been operating from the current site at 18 Charlesworth Street since the early 1990's.
While its buildings have developed in an incremental fashion this is not indicative of the management
Cats Protection League 9
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolstonof the site. There is no noise or smell emanating from the operation which is low key and efficient. The
cat cages are cleaned twice a day which ensures there is no odour from the cats or their waste. The
cats themselves make no noise even during a settling in period. All cats are neutered before arrival
which ensures they are relatively passive. From beyond the boundaries members of the public would
not know there is a cattery on site, other than from a small sign. The expansion of the cattery to two
sites does not involve any change to the existing character of the activity. The number of cats housed is
expected to largely remain the same as present with capacity for an increase should some event cause
a greater number of cats to be made homeless in the greater Christchurch area.
With regard to the neighbours the applicant advises that no neighbours have raised any concerns with
the CPL in recent times. The most that would be noticed is the coming and going of volunteers for the
cleaning shifts, of cats being delivered and of members of the public making inquiries about cats. This
level of traffic is not dissimilar to that of a household.
5.3.2 Boarding of Animals
The City Plan controls boarding of animals in Living zones in order to manage any adverse effects
relating to noise and smell associated with the activity. It considers boarding of animals to be
potentially incompatible with the residential use and permits as of right only small scale boarding
associated with veterinary services. The control of boarding of animals in large degree is a response to
the howling and barking of dogs held overnight at veterinary clinics. Cats do not create noise issues.
The proposal is effectively a continuation of an existing activity. It is acknowledged that the maximum
number of cats that could be accommodated at the facility will increase by the proposal; however the
facility will rarely run at full capacity. The reason behind the increased capacity is due to the
Canterbury earthquake sequence, at which time the CPL found that a significant number of cats have
run away or been abandoned, which overloaded their facilities. This has brought to their attention that
the facility should be expanded to allow for extreme events such as this, should it be required.
The proposal is not expected to give rise to unreasonable noise and odour effects. The facility will be
run mainly within the buildings, which will keep the noise effects to a minimum. The cages are cleaned
by the site manager and volunteers on a daily basis, where litter is wrapped in newspaper and
disposed of. There is a dedicated litter tray wash area within the main building and rubbish storage is
located between the main building and the garage, away from neighbouring residents. Overall, it is
considered that there will be no nuisance effects discernible from the proposal.
5.3.3 Scale of Activity
The City Plan rules aim to maintain the residential amenity of the zone by ensuring that the non-
residential activities are of a scale and type that are compatible with the predominant residential
uses. To this end, the City Plan has controls on the activity types, building and site sizes, the
number of employees who do not live on the site and hours of operation. Effects of these are
discussed throughout this assessment of effects.
In an overall sense, the Cats Protection League is a well-known, not-for-profit charity in Canterbury.
The function it serves in the community extends beyond the immediate neighbourhood. It also
provides for social capital of the neighbourhood by allowing people to volunteer their time caring
for abandoned and sick animals. The cattery has been a feature of the neighbourhood since the
1990s, and has carried out its operations in an unobtrusive manner. The proposed extensions will
continue to be carried out in a similar fashion. While it is not strictly within the scope of non-
Cats Protection League 10
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolstonresidential activities envisaged in a residential area by the City Plan, the proposal is considered to
have no more than minor effects on the existing amenity of the neighbourhood.
The proposal is designed in such a manner that does not unduly affect the neighbours’ amenities.
The recession plane and side yard infringements are restricted to the shared boundary within the
application sites. Most activities are undertaken inside a building. Any outdoor activities are
screened from the neighbours and the roads by a combination of buildings, fences and landscaping.
The hours that the cattery is open to the public is well within what could be reasonably expected
from a complying home occupation. The activities that occur outside of these hours will generally
be quiet and very low key to the extent that it will not be discernible from outside the site.
5.3.4 Retail Activities
The cattery activity involves a small element of retail activity with cats eligible for adoption kept on
site and then adopted for a small charge. This activity currently occurs on the existing site but is
now proposed to move this aspect, and all other administrative and public functions, to the new
purpose-built offices and cattery at 14 Charlesworth Street.
The retail element is part of the existing operation and no increase in visitor numbers is expected.
Although this element is classified as a ‘retail activity’ in the City Plan, it is an integral part of the
CPL’s charity work to find suitable homes for cats. The money charged is a token amount, which
directly funds the charitable activities of the CPL. Due to the nature of the operation and the fact
that CPL is a charitable concern, it is considered that operating this facility within this residential
area rather than in a business zone is preferable for economic and amenity reasons for CPL and the
public visiting the site.
The retailing is one element of the existing and proposed operation which involves the public
coming to the site and it is expected that the current levels which are around 10 vehicles per day
will be maintained.
5.3.5 Residential Coherence
As the two properties which are part of the application site will effectively be functioning as a single
site, the proposal will maintain residential activity on the site. While the dominant activity on the
site will relate to those of the cattery, a caretaker/supervisor will live on the site on a full time
basis. The residential coherence of the neighbourhood is therefore maintained. In addition, the
presence of workers during the day as well as a resident on site already has a positive effect on the
neighbourhood by providing an element of passive and active surveillance both night and day.
5.4 Traffic Generation
The proposal generates very low number of visitors to the site. The applicant estimates that
between 0-10 visitors or up to 20 vehicle movements per day. With regard to staff trips to the site,
there will be up to 7 volunteers at the site at one time, and the supervisor will live on site. This
could result in a combination of up to 34 vehicle movements per day for both sites although car
sharing occurs with some of the volunteers as well as those who walk or cycle. Therefore on an
average, each access point for the proposal generates about 17-18 vehicle movements per day. The
site has frontage to a Local Road which carries low volumes of traffic, which will in turn connects to
Ferry Road, a major arterial road. Given this, the existing road network can easily absorb the traffic
generated.
Cats Protection League 11
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, WoolstonThe proposal provides two separate entrances for the sites. 18 Charlesworth St site will retain the
existing access, which is 4m wide. A new 6m wide vehicle crossing will be provided for 14
Charlesworth St, which is to be the visitor entrance. Both access points may be used by staff as
necessary. The two accesses are separated by more than 15m.
The activities within the site will remain roughly the same levels as the current operation. The
additional site area and the maximum number of animals that may be accommodated on site
merely allow CPL the wriggle room to provide for any peak events and allow them to provide a less
crowded, more humane environment for the cats. It is very rare that the number of cats will reach
100 at any given time. There may be an increase in the number of people at the site as a result of
this proposal possibly attributed to extra volunteers on an as required basis. Levels of traffic
generation or pedestrian activity are expected to remain compatible with the character of the
surrounding living environment.
The proposal provides care for animals and onsite accommodation and there is no activity class
within the City Plan which is even similar to this use for the purpose of determining a suitable level
of parking. The number of car parks provided on the main site (southern site), therefore have been
based on the now considerable experience of the applicants in carrying out the CPL’s operations. 8
car parks are provided between the both sites with opportunities for ‘tandem parking’ in front of
the garage for staff.
Parking spaces are available for use by staff and visitors at all times. All parks are located within the
application site. Staff car parks will be for exclusive use of staff and marked. 1 car park is required
for accessible parking by the disabled. Car park 6 will be allocated for disabled persons. One cycle
park can be easily accommodated within the site. Onsite turning is provided for both sites. Queuing
space in excess of 5.5m is provided for both 14 and 18 Charlesworth St sites.
Overall, based on the current operation, it is considered that the parking effects can be easily
accommodated within the sites with no effects on the overall amenity and the efficiency of the
local and wider roading network.
5.5 Flooding
The site is in the Flood Management Overlay. The site is 180m from Heathcote River. The building
design was informed by the Christchurch City Council Flood Information Maps. According to the
Flood Information Maps, while the site is not subject to the 50 year flood extents, it is within the 50
year flood floor level control area. The 50 year Floor level is outlined as 11.67m above the
Christchurch City datum (CCD). The required minimum floor levels are stated to be 11.8m above
CCD. The existing ground level is 11.035m. Gravel rafts will increase the actual building footprint
area to bring the floor level to the minimum required level of 11.8m above CCD. There will not be
any increase to the general ground levels throughout the site other than as part of the building
platforms.
6. City Plan Policy Assessment
As a non-complying activity, it is appropriate to consider the proposal against the City Plan objectives
and policies. Generally, the proposal is not inconsistent with the City Plan’s intent to retain a
Cats Protection League 12
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolstonresidential element within non-residential activities as a key element to ensure the residential integrity
of the living environment is not compromised. The proposal is not considered to be an ‘excessive
intrusion’ of a non-residential activity into the living area, it does retain a residential component and is
within a facility built to a high standard.
Following is an assessment against the relevant City Plan objectives and policies.
Suburban Areas
Policy 4.1.3 To maintain and enhance suburban areas for low scale, low density housing in a
predominantly open landscape setting, supported by a range of community activities.
Comment
As discussed above, the CPL is a registered charity undertaking community work in animal welfare
in Canterbury Region. The proposal has been operating discreetly from this location for several
decades. While the proposal is an expansion of the existing activity, this is to provide better quality
facilities for cats and the visiting public and to accommodate any spikes in normal activities. The
proposal is not anticipated to detract from the residential amenity of the neighbourhood in which it
is located.
The proposed buildings are generally low rise and consistent with the building profiles of the
surrounding area. There are landscaped areas provided to maintain the pleasantness of the street
frontage and to provide screening.
Noise
Policy 4.2.9 Impacts of noise: To achieve a low ambient level of noise in the City and the
protection of the environment from noise that can disturb the peace, comfort, or repose of
people to the extent necessary to avoid, remedy or mitigate unreasonable levels of sound.
Policy 4.2.10 In achieving satisfactory ambient sound levels, to take account of the receiving
environment and its sensitivity to noise intrusion.
Policy 4.2.11 To provide maximum acceptable sound levels to enable uses emitting noise to
design activities, including at source noise attenuation structures, to reach the desired
ambient levels, and enable recipients to protect themselves against such levels.
Policy 11.4.9 To ensure noise levels associated with non-residential activities are consistent
with maintaining a high standard of amenity within living areas and to ensure that in the Living
3 and 4 Zones residential units are designed to mitigate potential adverse noise effects
generated by traffic on collector and arterial roads.
Comment
It is acknowledged that a low level of ambient noise is important to maintain a high residential
amenity. The cattery has been operating from this location for several decades with no effect on its
neighbourhood. While the proposal expands the area over which it operates, the operation is a very
quiet one, with noise generally less than might be expected from a residential activity. No noise
impacts are therefore imposed on the neighbourhood. Almost all are undertaken inside a building,
with the exception of a small outdoor run area (which sits between the northern and southern sites).
The cats in these areas do not make any sounds that would be heard even by people on the site and
certainly nothing that would be heard beyond the application site. The additional activity that will
occur as a result of this proposal is the CPL office. Office activities are considered to be acoustically
very low impact and are compatible with residential activities.
Cats Protection League 13
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, WoolstonCommunity Facilities
Policy 9.1 Local community facilities: Provision for accessible community facilities to meet
educational, spiritual, health, and other local needs
Policy 9.1.1 Location: To provide for local community facilities to locate within living areas of the
City, but particularly in close proximity to suburban centres or on arterial roads.
Policy 9.1.5 Managing effects: to ensure the effects of local community facilities are managed in a
way which maintains amenity and in particular residential amenity and coherence.
Comment
The CPL is a well-known registered charity for feline welfare in Christchurch. The site is located close to
Ferrymead business area and very close to Ferry Road, which provides convenient access for those
who wish to make use of the League’s facilities. As a community animal welfare facility, the CPL site
does not generate high level of traffic generally expected from a standard community activity. Hence it
is considered that the facility is compatible with the neighbourhood in which it is located. It should be
noted that as a charity, that the CPL has operated from the current site since 1970s when it was
bequeathed to CPL by their founder. Refer Section 5.1 which discusses the rationale behind locating
the CPL facilities at the application site in further detail.
Non-residential activities and environmental effects
Objective 11.3: Non-residential activities: Non-residential activities located within living areas
which meet community needs, and are consistent with maintaining a high standard of amenity in
living areas.
Policy 11.3.1: Local community facilities and services: To provide for local community facilities and
services to locate within living areas, subject to compatibility with the existing character of different
parts of the living environment, and maintaining residential coherence and amenity.
Objective 11.4: Adverse environmental effects
A living environment that is pleasant and within which adverse environmental effects on amenity
values are avoided remedied or mitigated, while still providing the opportunity for individual and
community expression
Policy 11.4.3 To ensure that the design and siting of development does not unduly compromise
outlook, privacy and views of adjoining development, having regard to the character of the area
and reasonable expectations for development.
Policy 11.4.4 To ensure that people's privacy is not unduly compromised by the establishment of
monitoring systems or look-out structures which enable the monitoring of people on neighbouring
sites.
Policy 11.4.5 To ensure that the outdoor component of non-residential activity is screened to
protect the privacy and outlook of adjoining sites.
Policy 11.4.6 To ensure that the hours of operation of non-residential activity does not unduly
compromise amenity values, and particularly privacy and security of adjoining development
Policy 11.4.12 To ensure that the scale of non-residential buildings and activities is compatible with
the scale of those of the surrounding living environment.
Comment
The City Plan acknowledges that privacy and views cannot be totally protected and that when
controlling elements to offer some protection of privacy, outlook and views, there needs to be
balanced against owners or developers reasonable expectations to develop land. As discussed in
Section 5 above, the proposal has no more than minor effect on the existing amenities of the
Cats Protection League 14
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolstonsurrounding living environment. The design and the siting of the development are not inconsistent
with the neighbourhood in which it is located. No security monitoring systems will be established so
there will be no effect on the privacy of the neighbouring sites. Given that there is a resident on the
site at all times, there will be an added element of passive surveillance on the neighbourhood so there
will, in fact, be a positive effect on the perceived safety and security of the area.
The proposal is designed in such a manner that does not unduly affect the neighbours’ amenity. The
recession plane and side yard infringements are restricted within the application sites. Most activities
are undertaken inside a building. Any outdoor activities are screened from the neighbours and the
roads by a combination of buildings, fences and landscaping. The hours that the cattery is open to the
public is within what could be reasonably expected from a complying home occupation. The activities
that occur outside of these hours will generally be quiet and very low key to the extent that it will not
be discernible from outside the site.
The City Plan recognises that where living areas adjoin medium-large business areas, such as some
suburban centres, they may already be characterised by buildings and sites which are of a larger scale
than residential buildings and sites generally. It is noted that while the immediate surrounds of the
activity is generally residential, the site is also in close proximity to other community activities
(Woolston Fire Station) and other business centres (Ferrymead business area) and close to a major
arterial road (Ferry Road). It is considered that the proposal achieves a balance of maintaining the
existing residential amenity of the Living 1 zone, whilst being located close to other community
facilities and business areas.
7. Mitigation Measures
We consider that there would be no significant adverse effects on the environment and therefore
no mitigation measures are necessary or proposed.
8. Consideration Of Alternatives
The assessment of effects above indicates that the proposal will not have any significant adverse
effects on the environment. Therefore an assessment of alternatives is not required.
Notwithstanding the above, the League has undertaken an extensive search over several years for an
alternative site (including public appeals for suitable land through The Press). They were unable to find
a suitable site elsewhere within a reasonable price bracket. Fortunately, the neighbours have offered
their property at 14 Charlesworth Street (adjoining the existing cattery) and the League is currently in
the process of purchasing this site in order to expand the existing site.
9. Identification of Persons Potentially Affected and Consultation
The applicant has consulted with the residents in the immediate vicinity of the application site and has
obtained the written approvals from the following parties listed below. Refer Appendix C.
1 Olds Place,
20 Charlesworth Street,
Cats Protection League 15
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, Woolston25 Charlesworth Street,
23 Charlesworth Street, and
29 Charlesworth Street
Overall it is considered that there are no further parties who may be affected by the proposal.
10. Monitoring
It is considered that there would be no significant adverse effects on the environment and therefore
no on-going monitoring of the proposal is required or proposed.
11. Overall Conclusion
Cats Protection League delivers an invaluable charitable animal welfare service to Christchurch and
the Canterbury region at large. The proposed redevelopment and extension of the facilities
associated with the League is assessed as a noncomplying activity in the City Plan. As such the
proposal has been assessed in terms of effects on the environment and against the City Plan
objectives and policies. The proposal is considered to have no more than minor effect on the
existing residential amenities of the neighbourhood in which it is located. The overall development
is considered to be not inconsistent with the City Plan’s objectives policies. Therefore, as a Non-
Complying Activity, the proposal is considered to satisfy both limbs of Section 104D of the Resource
Management Act.
Davie Lovell-Smith Ltd
July 2014
j:\18520\rcapp_cats-prot-league.docx
Cats Protection League 16
14 & 18 Charlesworth Street, WoolstonDavie, Lovell-Smith Ltd
116 Wrights Road,
Addington,
PO Box 679,
Christchurch 8140,
Telephone (03) 379-0793,
E-mail: office@dls.co.nz
Christchurch City Council
Resource Consents and Building Policy Unit
PO Box 73013
Christchurch 8154
Attention: Lisa Arnott
Dear Lisa
CATS PROTECTION LEAGUE – RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR FURTHER INFORMATION – RMA92026653 –
14-18 CHARLESWORTH STREET
Thank you for your request for further information for the above application for resource consent which
was received on 18 August 2014. Your inquiries are addressed in turn below:
Stormwater
Attenuation
Please find attached a set of updated application plans, which show 3 stormwater tanks with a combined
capacity of 18m3. Two 5.25 L tanks will store roof stormwater from the main building B1, and the 7.5 L tank
will store roof stormwater from the B4 building (residential unit) and B2 building (smaller cattery building).
The existing roof area is 651m2 the proposed roof area will add approximately 200m2 to this.
Ground levels
Refer to updated application plans which show the amended ground levels. A drainage trench with 100 mm
diameter PVC perforated corrugated pipe is laid around the southern, eastern and part of northern side of
the B1 building (main building) as well as the northern side of the B2 building (smaller cattery) to manage
stormwater flow. A kerb and channel is proposed to direct the stormwater from the car park area.
The difference in elevations is possibly due to the retaining wall on the southern side of the B1 building.
The elevations and site plans have been updated to show this.
Planning
1. Although the AEE notes that the two properties will operate as one site, the application has addressed
the two sites separately. The site layout indicates that the two sites could be operated independently,
and would allow the sites to be sold separately in future. Please advise whether the sites are to be held
together by a legal instrument that would prevent them being sold separately in future? If there are
specific reasons as to why the sites are proposed to be developed separately, please provide an
explanation of the reasons for this.The application addresses the two sites separately only in terms of the compliance assessment as we
considered it was more systematic to identify all the non-compliances at the time of lodgement. The
assessment of effects itself discusses the elements and effects of the proposal as a single operation.
The site is being developed in stages, as opposed being developed ‘separately’. The two sites need
different ‘types’ of work done as part of the development: 18 Charlesworth St site is a ‘repair/remodel’
of the existing cattery and the 14 Charlesworth St site is a ‘new build’. The 18 Charlesworth St site is the
existing CPL site, which was always intended to be repaired for earthquake damage and refurbished to
a higher standard. In addition to this, they have received a bequest to their Trust to provide for
improved facilities. Many sites were looked at around the City for relocation of the operation with no
suitable sites found until the owner of 14 Charlesworth Street offered their property. Logically to retain
a residential element it was decided to “build new” on this site and operate the two sites together. The
‘separation’ of the activities within the application was done to identify compliance matters and to aid
discussion as opposed to conveying an intention to operate the two sites separately.
To reinforce this, the applicant proposes a condition of consent requiring a covenant be registered
against the two certificates of title which will require these to be held together to exercise this resource
consent.
2. If the two sites are to be held together, and operated permanently as one site, the consent application
should address the non-compliances over the site as a whole, rather than assessing each site
independently, and an amended assessment of effects should be provided.
The assessment of effects lodged with the application addresses both sites as a whole. We presume
that you require that the compliance assessment be updated to include both sites as one. An amended
compliance assessment for both sites as a whole is attached as Appendix 1. You will note that treating
the two sites as one reduces the level of non-compliance.
3. Given the scale of the activity and the non-complying status of the proposal, the activity has the
potential to result in significant adverse effects on the residential amenity and coherence of the
surrounding environment. In my opinion the assessment of effects does not adequately address these
matters. Please provide a more detailed assessment of the potential effects on residential amenity and
coherence.
See amended assessment in Appendix 2.
4. Please provide the hours of operation during which staff, (other than those living on the site), would be
working on site. (The application only includes the hours the site is open to the public).
Volunteers are on site generally from 9am to 11am for the morning shift and from 3pm to 6pm (at
most) for the night shift. The time that the volunteers are on site will vary – in general terms, if there
are more volunteers, they will finish the work faster and leave earlier than the times stated above.
There will be between 1 and 5 staff, who are not resident on site, for up to 5 hours a day.You can also read
