After spotting official council signs with ominous sounding warnings on the Raglan Wharf buildings I asked the Waikato District Council about the signs. Their full response is included below. From what they’ve said there are no worries for the public.
The WDC notices say that they are to be displayed in all tenancies where they can be viewed by the public. Also that the required work must be completed by the 31st March 2017.
Although the sign states that, “emergency warning systems and means of escape, must be in full working order” and that “maintenance of these systems and reporting must be carried out”, based on the WDC response below it seems that the public has no need to be concerned about this.
Although the WDC response says certain minor works have to be carried out before the 1st March, it does not say what the works are. However the sign does say that, “unauthorised mezzanine floors are not to be used at any time or for any purpose” and goes on to state, “that access to the mezzanine floors must not be used for any purpose other than for work on removing the structures.”
So it seems that the tenants have to remove the mezzanine floors by 31st March.
Full Waikato District Council response
- What action has the regulatory part of council taken about the wharf building and why?
The Raglan wharf building currently has a Certificate for Public Use (CPU), as required by Section 363A of the Building Act 2004 and its amendments.
The CPU has been issued while the three tenants work towards completing a number of minor works to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code Clauses, in order for the Code of Compliance Certificate (CCC) for the whole building to be issued.
The tenants have been given until the end of March to get the work completed.
The CPU will lapse if the work is not completed in this timeframe. If this is the case the tenants will need to apply for another CPU until they meet the Code of Compliance Certificate requirements.
A separate building consent has been issued for supplementary work that has been carried out by one of the tenants and as such, a Code of Compliance Certificate is also required for this work.
There are no identified safety issues for the public using the building – all specified systems to meet the requirements of fire safety and means of escape are installed and fully functional in accordance with the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures of those systems.
- What action will the property section of council being taking as result of the official notice posted by the regulatory section of council?
Council is working with the tenants to help them obtain the required Code of Compliance Certificate. As stated above, the tenants have a set timeframe to complete the work.