FAQs about home-based business

There are many types of activities which could potentially be a home-based business. The draft changes endorsed by the Council for further development still see the home-based business being secondary to the residential use of the site where the business takes place, and require the business activity to be undertaken by someone permanently residing on the site.

The Council needs to do further work as part of the review to determine the specific rules which a business would then need to meet should it be considered a home-based business. We’re aiming to develop specific home-based standards that focus on the effects of a home-based business on the neighbouring environment. Such rules could be, for example,
maximum floor area used by the business or hours of operation for businesses who gets visits to home.

To maintain the look and feel of the residential or rural areas, it’s important that the Council controls what type of business can set up in these areas. There will be some businesses, such as dairies, child care and medical facilities that are an important part of the community, and may be appropriate in residential zones, but these will generally be at a larger scalethan home-based businesses and will require a resource consent. At the same time the future District Plan also needs to allow appropriate rural-based businesses to set up in the rural area. The draft changes will encourage other businesses to locate in the district’s commercial and business centres.

For more information on business activities in the Rural Zone check out the factsheet Selwyn District Plan Review: Business in the Rural Zone.

For more information on the draft changes to setting up a business in small townships which currently don’t have designated business zones check out the factsheet Selwyn District Plan Review: Businesses in small townships.

For more information about the Council’s preferred option for draft changes to intensive farming and all the work done to date as part of the review visit Council website where all the reports developed for the District Plan Review are kept.