6 May 2019 The Property Group Limited Palmerston North PO Box 12066, Inner City, 4444 Level 7 TSB Bank Tower 7-21 Fitzherbert Avenue Palmerston North 4110 Palmerston North City Council Planning Services Private Bag 11034 Palmerston North 4442 Attn: David Forrest RESOURCE CONSENT APPLICATION – 126 TURITEA ROAD, PALMERSTON NORTH Dear David, Please find enclosed an application for resource consent for the operation of Guardian Tree Services (land use consent) and a two lot fee simple subdivision (subdivision consent) of the site at 126 Turitea Road, Palmerston North. The application fees are to be paid directly by Guardian Tree Services or their representative. Please send all future invoices to the applicant. The Property Group Limited is the agent for this application and should be the first contact for any correspondence or telephone discussions. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions with regard to the application. I would also appreciate an opportunity to review any draft conditions, should they be necessary, prior to the issue of consent. Yours sincerely RYAN O’LEARY Senior Planner Mobile : 027 469 8992 Email : [email protected] FORM 9 Application for resource consent Section 88, Resource Management Act 1991 To: Palmerston North City Council Applicant: Guardian Tree Services Ltd PO Box 5541 Palmerston North 4441 Agent: Ryan O’Leary - Senior Planner Mobile : 027 469 8992 Email : [email protected] Address for Service: The Property Group Limited PO Box 12066 Palmerston North 4444 Site Address: 126 Turitea Road, Palmerston North Legal Description: Lot 3 Deposited Plan 84688 Owner of Sites: Guardian Tree Services Ltd Consent For: Land Use Consent - Non-Complying Activity Subdivision Consent – Discretionary Activity (Unrestricted) Description: Land use consent for the operation of a Non-Rural Activity in the Rural Zone Subdivision Consent for a two-lot fee simple subdivision of land Enclosed: Application Form and AEE Appendix 1 – Record of Title Appendix 2 – Proposed Development Plans Appendix 3 – Plans of Proposed Right of Way Upgrade Appendix 4 – Proposed Subdivision Scheme Plan & Topographical Survey Appendix 5 – Site Photos Appendix 6 – Written Approvals Appendix 7 – Preliminary Site Investigation Appendix 8 – Horizons Regional Council Correspondence Appendix 9 – Submission from Starter Plants Ltd on PPC15A Appendix 10 – Compliance with Access Standards Appendix 11 – Traffic Movements for Starter Plants Ltd Appendix 12 – Consultation with Tanenuiarangi o Manawatu Inc Appendix 13 – Consultation with PNCC Parks & Reserves Appendix 14 – Traffic Assessment from Traffic Concepts Signed: RYAN O’LEARY Senior Planner Date: 6/05/19 1 APPLICATION FOR RESOURCE CONSENT Guardian Tree Services 126 Turitea Road, Palmerston North Guardian Tree Services Ltd 6 May 2019 QUALITY CONTROL Title Application for Resource Consent – Guardian Tree Services Client Guardian Tree Services Ltd Job No 715080 Prepared by Ryan O’Leary – Senior Planner Signature Reviewed by Rachel Ritchie – Senior Planner Signature Declaratory Statement - Conflicts of Interest: I acknowledge that I, the author of this application, is also a signatory to the decision made by the Palmerston North City Council on 11 May 2018 to vary Consent Notice B724884-2 that applies to the subject site. The application to vary Consent Notice B724884-2 was made by Starter Plants Ltd, who have since sold the property to Guardian Tree Services Ltd. Starter Plants Ltd have no on-going interest in the site. This decision to grant the variation to Consent Notice B724884-2 was prepared by another independent planner. I declare my previous involvement in this application was limited to a peer review capacity and signatory only, as required in performing my duties as employed as Senior Planner by the Palmerston North City Council. The variation granted by the Council was registered on the Record of Title for the subject site on 18 May 2018. I have now been engaged by the purchasers of the site, Guardian Tree Services Ltd, who seek a land use consent to utilise the site for a different purpose (unrelated to the consent notice) and a subdivision consent to create two individual allotments. In my view, the variation to this consent notice is an independent matter from any potential subdivision consent. The variation to the consent notice effectively enables a house site to be constructed on the underlying allotment ‘as of right’. Any potential subdivision consent would be subject to a separate application process to the Palmerston North City Council and sufficiently unrelated to the variation to the consent notice decision. 1. INTRODUCTION Guardian Tree Services Ltd hereby apply for resource consent from the Palmerston North City Council (“Council”) for all land use consents required to operate ‘Guardian Tree Services’, being a non-rural activity located within the Rural Zone. A subdivision consent is also sought to enable a two-lot fee simple subdivision of the subject site. The proposal is further described in the application and relates to the property at 126 Turitea Road, Palmerston North. 2. SITE DESCRIPTION The 2.28ha site is known as 126 Turitea Road and is legally described as Lot 3 Deposited Plan 86488. A copy of the Record of Title of this property is included in Appendix 1. The site is currently operated as a commercial nursery by ‘Starter Plants Ltd’ (SPL) who presently employ up to 7 on-site staff. The site contains existing sorting sheds, storage facilities, shade houses and other similar structures associated with SPL’s operations. The majority of the site is used for growing plants in perennial beds arranged in a grid pattern, divided by grassed areas and linear hedging. The site contains Class II Soils in accordance with the Land Resource Inventory. The eastern portion of the site is used as a series of themed, well-manicured gardens. To the north- east of the property is a site containing the Turitea Stream (land owned by Palmerston North City Council and held as a reserve). Image 1: Site Location – 126 Turitea Road, Palmerston North Access to the site is provided via an existing tree-lined shared driveway off Turitea Road. This is shared by four other rural-residential properties (secured via a right of way). The subject site is also subject to a right of way that provides access to 128 Turitea Road and 130 Turitea Road. These are shown as right of way areas ‘B’ and ‘A’ respectively on the Deposited Plan included in Appendix 1. The site is bounded by 134 Turitea Road to the west; 128 Turitea Road to the north-west; 132 Turitea Road to the south; and 136 Turitea Road to the east. To the north of the site is existing farmland at 85 Old West Road. 2 3. THE PROPOSAL 3.1 Land Use Consent Guardian Tree Services Ltd (‘GTS’) are a small-scale arborist and landscaping service specialising in tree pruning, tree removals and landscaping work. The business provides its services to both urban and rural environments and has a well-established client base within Manawatu, Hawkes Bay and surrounding districts. GTS have been based at their Napier Road site in Palmerston North for a number of years, however, their current site is intended to be re-zoned from Rural Zone to Residential Zone in the near future which has necessitated GTS acquiring another suitable rural site to accommodate their existing activity. This proposal seeks land use consent to enable the operation of Guardian Tree Services from the site at 126 Turitea Road. The activity will utilise the site and existing buildings as a depot for their small- scale arborist activity. However, the site also provides the opportunity to utilise a portion of the current existing nursery perennial beds for growing made-to-order trees and landscaping supplies. There will be sold wholesale to existing clients (no gate sales). The proposed arborist activity involves the following core components: (i). Site used as a ‘base’ for staff, and to store equipment and vehicles overnight (and throughout the day when not in use). (ii). Typically the activity involves 7 staff, although numbers can fluctuate between 5 and 8 staff members from time to time. (iii). The hours of operation are typically 8.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. Typically staff arrive at the site at 8am for initial set-up (loading up gear for the day and undertaking safety checks) before staff vacate the site. Staff typically arrive back between 4 and 5pm for pack-down and clean-up. Staff are typically not on-site for most of the day as arborist work undertaken is located off-site. (iv). On the occasion where work is located at a greater distance from the yard, some staff might arrive at 7am. This is not a common occurrence. There would be no activity on the site before 7am. (v). Should weekend work occur on the site, this is generally limited to office type activities (clearing emails and phone messages, invoices etc) rather than yard-based activities. The activity will utilise the existing buildings (sorting sheds, machinery and storage areas) for their equipment. However, the existing shade-house and timber shelter (left-hand side of image below) will be demolished and a portion of this will be gravelled to allow greater ease of vehicle manoeuvrability from the storage/sorting sheds. The back wall of the existing shed (shown on the image below) will also be demolished to provide undercover carparking for staff. GTS also seek to construct an additional 2-bay pole shed, being 18m(L) x 9m(W)x 4.6m (H) for the storage of vehicles and machinery. Redundant sections of the perennial beds will be planted back in grass seed and progressively planted with made-to-order trees. Mulch will be sorted onsite in identified storage areas to service the horticultural use of the site.