What you need to know for activities on or near a council road

Corridor Access Requests (CARs) and Traffic Management Plans (TMPs) are the permits required to ensure that activities carried out on the road corridor are as safe as possible for everyone, from contractors, to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

If an individual or organisation plans to undertake an activity on the road, they must submit the appropriate application(s) to the Hurunui District Council for approval before the activity can start.

The road corridor (road or road reserve) is defined as the area from the private property boundary on one side to the property boundary on the other. This includes the berm (grass verge), footpath and carriageway.

Development Engineering Standard (DES)

The Hurunui DES is a document which provides developers and contractors with a means of compliance when designing and constructing works to meet engineering-related resource consent conditions.

This document sets out minimum information requirements, procedures and standards. This ensures the provision of robust infrastructure, which is then able to be taken over as a Council asset.

The current version is linked below.

Development Engineering Standard - 2017

Hurunui District Council roadwork holiday period restrictions, and TMP/CAR Processing cut off dates for 2024/2025

Holiday Restrictions:

The lead up to the December Holidays is an important period for retailers and shoppers alike. To provide safe and efficient travel through the district, the following restrictions will apply:

Key Dates:

Monday 16 December 2024, midday - for site specific works due to commence from 6 January 2025 applications must be lodged via beforeUdig.co.nz.
Late applications will not be processed after this date.
Wednesday 18 December 2024, midday - All work sites in the central business areas of Hurunui District townships and on all Arterial and Primary Collector roads impacting the carriageway, are to be removed, Footpaths, cycle lanes and traffic lanes to be reinstated and open for normal use.
Friday 20 December 2024, 6pm - All remaining work sites are to be wound up by 6pm, with traffic lanes made available for use, and plant & equipment removed from site. Where TTM is still required (eg shoulder closures), these should be treated as “unattended” and managed as per approved TMP requirements.
Monday 6 January 2025 - All pre-approved works may resume as normal from 7am.
For emergency works during the times above, contact 03 314 8816 to advise.

Hurunui District Council (HDC) Office Shutdown Period:

The HDC office is closed from:

Midday, Tuesday 24 December 2024
Reopening Wednesday 8 January 2025.
No Traffic Management Plans or Corridor Access Requests will be processed during this time.

Clean-up:

It is important that our roads are kept safe and accessible for all road users. Contractors are encouraged to revisit previous sites to ensure that all TTM equipment or construction materials previously missed are collected and returned to their yard. This includes other company’s equipment that may have been filtered out during pack up, collections or equipment swaps should be arranged.

State Highways:

Work on the State Highway network is managed by Waka Kotahi, NZ Transport Agency and may have separate restrictions in place.

What's under the ground - BeforeUDig

beforeUdig is a FREE online service which enables anyone undertaking excavation works to obtain information on the location of cables, pipes and other utility assets in and around any proposed dig site, helping to protect themselves and valuable assets during these works.

https://www.beforeudig.co.nz/nz/home

Permissions and processes - CARs and WAPs

Corridor Access Requests (CARs) and Traffic Management Plans (TMPs) are the permits required to ensure that activities carried out in, on or under the road corridor are as safe as possible for everyone, from contractors working onsite, to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

If an individual or organisation plans to undertake an activity in, on or under the road, they must submit the appropriate application(s) to the Hurunui District Council for approval before the activity can start.

NOTE: Your activity may require a Consent - please contact our office to discuss this with the Building or Planning team.

For a more comprehensive overview of the CAR process, please refer to our Submitica guidance document.

Corridor Access Request (CAR) There are six stages to the CAR/WAP Process:

Apply - To apply for permission to work in, on or under the council’s road reserves you will need to apply for a Corridor Access Request (CAR). Applications must be made through BeforeUDig.
A Traffic Management Plan (TMP) is part of your application along with all supporting documentation to ensure the application is valid.

Process - Once you have applied for a CAR, the information is vetted and may take between five (5) and 15 days to process. Various approvals are sought and conditions are set relating to the activity.

Review - The CAR and work conditions are forwarded to the Traffic Management Coordinator for approval.

Approve - If council accepts the application, an approved Works Access Permit (WAP) is produced and emailed to the applicant.
No work may proceed in, on or under council roads without an approved WAP.
Your approval email notification with conditions, will be attached to this email.

Completion - Once you’ve completed the work, you will need to notify council by using the works completion function in submitica.

Warranty - As part of the conditions for the work, you will be required to remedy any defects found in your completed work site for a period of 24 months.
Note: Warranty cannot begin until the works completion has been signed off by Council staff.

Traffic Management Plan (TMP)

A TMP is required for all activities that vary the normal operating conditions of a road, irrespective of where the activity is - on a carriageway, on a footpath or a road shoulder. A TMP may also be needed for activities outside the road reserve if the normal operating conditions of the road are affected.

TMPs must be designed by a suitably qualified person* and must meet the minimum standards outlined in the Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (the CoPTTM).

TMPs must be submitted via Submitica

* From 1 May 2021, TMP designers must either hold the practicing Temporary Traffic Management Planner (TTMP) warrant, or the non-practicing Temporary Traffic Management Planner (TTMP-NP) warrant and the TMP is being submitted for assessment purposes, as per the guidance provided by Waka Kotahi.

Approved TMP extension request

From time to time, for various reasons, the work is delayed and the dates will need to be extended to cover the work. To apply for a date extension to an approved plan - please complete the Extension Request Form and submit for approval.

Road Space Bookings (RSB)

Road Space Booking (RSB) are an option for holders of an approved, current, Generic Traffic Management Plan.

This is for non-excavation work sites only.

application form

This RSB must be submitted at least Five (5) working days prior to the planned work commencing and the intended plan uploaded with application.

It is intended that RSB are used for smaller sites. All other sites require a site specific TMP, submitted via Submitica.

Road Space Booking map of approved sites.

Events and Road Closures

Events

If you wish to run an event on the road corridor or adjacent to the road corridor in a way that will change the normal operating conditions of the road, you will need to submit a traffic management plan.(TMP)

Events with a road closure

All TMPs that involve a full road closure must include a completed Temporary road closure application and require a bond (see current Fees & Charges)

Road closures

In order to meet the legal requirements, The Council is required to advertise the proposed closure. This will be placed in the public notice section of the local paper at the applicant’s costs (from the bond deposit amount placed).

The first placement will be for the calling for any reasonable objections to the proposed event’s road closure. The objection period will be 1 week.

Approved applications will be advertised in the local newspaper on the next available date following the Committee’s decision, again at the applicant’s costs.

Bond:

A Bond of is to be deposited with the application. (see current Fees & Charges) Processing of the application will not commence until the bond is received.

In the event that the closure is cancelled, the applicant is still liable for all costs incurred to date of cancellation, including officer time.

All advertising costs will be deducted prior to any bond refund to the applicant

All costs for remedial grading, road furniture replacement and/or metaling, as determined by the Council Roading staff, will be deducted prior to any bond refund to the applicant.

The remainder of the bond will only be refunded once the road has been inspected and all repairs (if any) have been made.

The applicant is bound by any and all conditions as stated by The Council.

The Council reserves the ‘right of refusal’ of any application lodged with reasonable explanation.

Processing Timeframes

Submitting complete and thorough applications with an appropriate lead-time is an important part of making sure an activity goes ahead as planned. While we reference minimum lead-times, we strongly encourage that people involved in this process plan for larger lead-times which should account for any unexpected delays in approval e.g. coordination with other contractor approvals.

The timeframes below are minimum lead/processing times.

APPLICATION	MINIMUM TIMEFRAME
Standard CAR or TMP	5 working days
Non-event Road Closure TMP	10 working days**
Event Road Closure TMP	42 working days ***

** This allows for 5 working days to process the TMP and 5 working days to establish the static warning signs.

*** Statutory requirement for public advertising. This also allows time for public feedback and consideration by Council at the next available meeting.

Licence to Occupy Road Reserve

Privately owned structures that encroach on or under Council roads require an agreement to occupy between the owner of the structure and the Hurunui District Council - being the owner of the road reserve. .
If you own any type of improvement that encroaches on a Council road (whether formed or unformed) you are required to enter into an agreement with the Council. This licence is not transferable.

Improvements may be structures that are partially or fully above ground, or they may be partially or fully below ground as infrastructure, such as pipes. If these improvements intrude onto or under the road, they are called encroachments and a Licence to Occupy is required.

As part of this process, full details of the extent and nature of the encroachment must be supplied with the application.

Fees:

An application fee (incl. GST) is payable with the application. This fee is non-refundable. it is advised that you speak to council, to discuss your proposal, before applying.
Other fees and rentals: Further fees may payable if the application proceeds if council inspection is required.
Annual rent may be payable as part of any agreement.

Traffic Management Plan

As a requirement of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, the Local Government Act 1974 and 2002, and the Land Transport Management Act 2003, the applicant and or their contractors will need an approved Traffic Management Plan (TMP) detailing traffic control works prior to any of the works commencing on, or in, the road reserve. This must be completed by a qualified Site Traffic Management Planner and appropriately qualified onsite staff.

As Built Plans on Completion of Work

An electronic set of plans to be provided of each set of assets installed comprising drawings at a recognised scale. The plans shall be certified by the Consultant or Contractor overseeing the work stating that they are a true and accurate record of all services. Furthermore, where plans have been prepared using CAD techniques a copy of the electronic file shall be provided in either AutoCAD LT format (.dwg or .dxf).

As built plans of the following are required in electronic file format

Water plan - showing the location of connection points, tanks and associated reticulation relative to boundaries. Finished cover levels at valves and hydrants shall be shown. Pipe size, material and pipe class shall also be shown.

Sewer plan - showing the location of manholes and lateral positions relative to boundaries.

All cover and invert levels for all manholes and inspection chambers (proposed as vested to council) will be provided. Pipe size, material and gradient should also be shown.

All electronic drawings will be provided to NZTM2000 projection with levels to NZGD2000 Datum. If drainage (WW or SW) is discharging into a council owned asset then that council-owned asset should be included as part of the survey.

The supervising engineer will be required to issue a producer statement confirming that all the works have been carried out installed and completed to the standards and specifications of the approved documents.

Locate Underground Services

Apply to www.beforeudig.co.nz for service plans

Grass Berms

Grass berm areas that are disturbed shall be formed on good quality top soil to a depth of at least 75mm below the finished surface. The area shall be rolled, raked and graded to an even surface, with the seed sown evenly over the area at a rate of 30 grams grass seed /sq metre. The seed shall consist of:

Chewings Fescue ‘Dawson Red’

70% Brown Top NZ Certified 30%

The grass seed shall then be lightly raked into the surface, lightly rolled and watered as required. The applicant’s attention is drawn to the need for watering during dry periods to establish a good ‘strike’ of the seed.

Temporary Fences

Temporary fences must also comply with the District Plan, which requires that:

The fence is temporary and constructed with flexible plastic electric fence standards or similar frangible standards. (not metal waratahs or wooden posts)
All standards are at least two metres back from the road/grass edge.
The grazing is on the road reserve adjoining land owned by the stock owner.
During the hours of darkness it is essential that stock be removed and all electrified fences are disconnected from the power source.
Clearly visible “Live wire” warning signs must be erected along the length of any electrified fence.
Clearly Visible reflectors placed along the fence length.
Temporary fencing needs to be removed once the grazing cycle is completed.

NOTE: Temporary fences do not usually require a licence, but are permitted strictly on the basis that the installer accepts sole liability for all losses, damages, costs and expenses of any kind in respect of any person if any damage occurs to the road, service infrastructure or vehicles, as a result of their operation.

Alert

Water restrictions across the district