We have just received a briefing from the Auckland Council Spatial Plan team regarding progress of the Spatial Plan. Their mantra of 'fast and simple' is encouraging and it appears they are meeting implementation deadlines thus far.

Basically the Auckland Plan or Spatial Plan is the overall 30 year guideline document that will steer growth and development in Auckland to create the world's most liveable city. Well that's the plan!

The Unitary Plan is basically a new District Plan that will help implement the Spatial Plan; again they are keeping it simple and working towards a concise outcomes based document rather that the verbose doorstops we have currently.

This is all very exciting but can they deliver? Can they transform Auckland into the world's most liveable city? Can the leopard change its spots? We shall see.

Shadow analysis has never been easier with a plethora of software out there that will calculate and plot the position of a shadow quickly and easily. Is this ‘black box’ software getting it right and what does it actually mean on the ground? These are questions that Council has been asking on a recent project.

BCL Surveyors were able to certify (via first principal astronomical and spherical trigonometric calculations) the accuracy of the calculations. We also marked out the actual predicted shadow on the ground for Council Officers to inspect. Our team raised awareness of the fact that the sun is a disk and not a point light source and thus the effects of Umbra and Penumbra should always be considered in any analysis.

Council recognise BCL Surveyors as experts in this field. If you need shadow expertise contact our team.

For Shady Surveys call BCL FOR SURVEY on 09 630 9512.

Natural Ground Level is another one of these ambiguous levels that requires professional judgement in order to determine. No one knows what the ‘natural’ level is or for that matter what it was in 1975!! It is up to the surveyor to determine based on the current ground levels and any historic information.

In most cases the natural level will be the existing ground level shown on the topographical survey however we recommend involving our team early to ensure its right. We are doing an increasing number of compliance certifications prior to applying for building consent; this is both cost effective for our clients and removes a huge amount of risk from all involved.

The cost of height to boundary problems is significant, the solution at the end of a building project can mean an application to Council for infringements or cutting back the eaves (the chainsaw solution)!

Avoid the chainsaw; call our team early for a pre application spatial compliance check.

Councils often refer to MHWS in their rules as the basis for yard setbacks etc. We are often required to show this ‘line’ on our plans, unfortunately for us (and in the words of the Baldrick) the sea is a big blue wobbly thing! Furthermore, it’s rising!!

Professional knowledge and judgment is required to ascertain this theoretical level and thus produce a ‘line’ on a plan. There are many techniques and methods that can be utilised and our team work hard to ensure that the ‘line’ we show is correct and will stand the scrutiny of expert review and the courts.

If MHWS is important to your project let us know early and we will ensure its right.

When working with maximum height covenants, flood levels or other vertical datums be very careful to check that your topographical survey is in terms of the datum.

It is common for covenants to be in terms of a local datum or even site datum with no reference to Lands and Survey Datum 1946 (LINZ Datum).

If height datums are critical to your design then consult with your surveyor.

Minimising risk in your work is vital to help avoid costly problems on your projects, when choosing your surveying partner look for a company that is also risk averse. At BCL we go to great lengths to minimise risk and to provide you with a complete survey package. All of our surveys are run through our quality assurance process, we survey specifically for you – for design purposes, this means more accuracy and more shots in critical hard to survey areas (such as on the boundaries, and ridgelines); it means simply better information.

All of this means less risk to us, to you and to our mutual clients.

Risk Averse – You Should Be, call the experts call BCL FOR SURVEY on 09 630 9512.

During landscape design projects the position of the ‘legal’ boundary is often overlooked or assumed to be on existing fence lines. It is certainly not unusual to find a fence half a metre or more off the legal boundary! Call us to define your boundaries to ensure that your fabulous landscape design and features are located correctly. Why take the risk?

We also offer high-quality topographical surveys for your landscape designs.  Call us for an estimate today.

Know your boundaries, call the experts call BCL FOR SURVEY on 09 630 9512.

Landscape by Natural Habitats

We have seen an increasing number of developments recently where height in relation to boundary infringements have arisen resulting in very costly remedial works and significant time delays. These infringements have arisen for a number of reasons that fall into 3 key areas:

Inadequate Information, the lack of good spatial information such as the correct boundary position, appropriate ground levels and building setout positions leads to problems at compliance sign-off.
Misinterpretation, this relates to District plan rules and definitions, architectural and survey plans.
Post Consent Changes, changes to the design made after the consent has issued are not always scrutinised with an eye for compliance.

A full list of common causes has been tabulated below.

The usual options available (after a problem has been identified) are:

Remove the offending part of the building (redesign and re-consenting may be required).
Obtain consent for the infringement (neighbours approval will be required).

Why take the risk? Our solution to minimise risk is outlined below.

1. Start with a quality topographical survey, call BCL for SURVEY.
2. Have BCL Surveyors carry out a pre-lodgement compliance check, we are increasingly being requested to check and certify compliance of designs prior to the consent being lodged. This not only provides a fresh and independent check of the Council controls and interpretation of ground levels, but can also remove a significant risk from the architect. Calculation of height in relation to boundary compliance not only requires an understanding of 3-dimensional calculations, but also the interpretation of the site topography and the “natural” ground level (not necessarily the actual ground level). Councils require certifications to be done by Licensed Cadastral Surveyors because of our knowledge and sound understanding of spatial information and cadastral boundaries. Getting a surveyor involved earlier in the process makes the final certification so much easier.
3. Setout survey at foundation stage (if required).
4. Compliance check at framing stage.

This process will be cost effective for your client and reduce risk for all parties. Please don’t hesitate to call our team to discuss your specific requirements on (09) 630 9512.

Remember, if it doesn’t comply, we cannot certify.

Our team is busy working with Stockman General Construction to install new power cables to Downtown Auckland. Vector is carrying out a 22kV electricity network upgrade project to reinforce the security and reliability of the electricity supply in the waterfront area of Auckland’s CBD, including the ports and Britomart.

Vector requires highly accurate asbuilt drawings of the new infrastructure to help protect and maintain the cables, our teams have been on site surveying the position of the cables in 3D. Utilising our information flow technology allows our team to exceed specifications whilst spending less time on site.

At BCL we are proud to be assisting Stockman General Construction and Vector in this project.