Living
in the inner city
Inner-city living is a relatively new trend for New Zealanders
More and more people are trading in their quarter-acre section for an apartment.
But residential living is only one of a range of activities allowed in the inner city.
Some of these other activities have been around for a long time and are a legitimate part of how the city runs.
It’s different to living in the ’burbs
- Controls on development in the inner city are different.
- You will not get the same protection from noise or access to sunlight and daylight that you get in residential areas.
- Many inner-city activities are not allowed in any other areas, and it is often the same activities that make inner-city living exciting and vibrant that will disturb your peace and quiet.
- The inner city comes alive in the evening, and activity and noise can last long into the night.
Think about other activities that will go on
Things that are allowed in the inner city and its fringes that might have an impact on your property are:
- noise from pubs and nightclubs
- offices
- special events and parades
- manufacturing facilities
- supermarkets
- factories
- panel-beaters
- construction activities
- high-rise buildings
- street cleaning and rubbish collecting.
Noise and odour are common problems
This is mostly because you are living much closer to other people and activities.
You share common walls, floors and ceilings, and you may be above offices or nightclubs.
In cases involving noise, what your building is made of is very important. You need to find out what building materials have been used, whether it has been soundproofed and what noise (and odour) reduction you can expect from this.
I moved into an inner-city apartment and everything was great – but early every Saturday morning the nightclub across the road would empty all their glass bottles into a metal skip. The noise was horrendous!
