[red]

Hi folks,
Our plan is to buy a 1-2 acre section and build our own house. We would also like to build a smaller house on the land to rent out as a holiday let. My question is how likely are we to get planning permission for this? Is there any way we can find out before we buy the land? I have noticed that a lot of land is sold with no plans in place, is the council likely to object to building any house on it? I know that every council and application is different but I can't seem to find any guidelines for planning and what is likely to be acceptable anywhere, even on the local council website.
Do many people build second properties on their land? Or are we being unrealistic......:roll

I only have experience with planing in the UK, so any information would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Red

[piningforthefjords]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but we are also looking to buy a section and build. What we would really like to know is where on the 'net you can find all the info regarding planning regulations etc, as we are keen to possibly buy a section with a view to looking into subdividing it later on.

Any help or pointers greatfully received.

(Sorry to butt in!)

[Caroline and Dave]

Hi,
These sites are pretty useful

http://www.buildyourdream.co.nz/forum/index.php

http://www.consumerbuild.org.nz/publish/site/section-doing-the-research.php
The consumer build site will give you the means to find out about local Council planning rules and the build your dream site is a forum where you can find or ask most things re building your own home in NZ.

Hope this helps

Dave

[hball]

Red,

Most local authorities have their planning regulations on their websites - try looking under the District Scheme Plan. Land is zoned into a number of catagories, ie Rural, Rural Residential, Residential 1 (2,3,4,5 and so on), Heritage etc, and each will have it's own rules. So when looking at land the first thing to do is establish it's zoning within that local authority DSP. That will then give you the rules and regs which apply.

For more immediate information (but limited) you could try the real estate handling the sale of the land, and further down the track you will also be advised of any restrictions by the architect you select to design your home, or the company you contract to build if they are also the designers.

Land is rarely sold with plans in place.

piningforthefjords - land which can be immediately subdivided carries a premium and can be quite expensive, while buying land which may be subdividable in the future is a gamble. Having said that I know of developers who happily buy tracts of land knowing that in a number of years the local authority plan to rezone and will let them subdivide. And ten to fifteen years wait is nothing to them.

[red]

Thanks for the info guys:nice1