Council prompts businesses to display street numbers

28 November 2003

Christchurch businesses that do not display their street numbers will be receiving a knock on the door from the Christchurch City Council, this summer.

From now until the end of February, a Council officer will be visiting businesses in the Central Business District and some suburban areas checking that street numbers are displayed prominently.

“It is the Council’s responsibility to ensure that businesses and residential properties have street numbers that are visible from the road. Although we generally receive few complaints about the absence of numbers, it is creating problems in some parts of the city for residents and visitors,” Willis Heney, the Council’s Environmental Monitoring team leader said.

“As well as causing inconvenience, the absence of street numbers can mean unnecessary delays when emergency services are called. The problem really escalates when several buildings in one block are not displaying their numbers,” he said.

Businesses that do not have a prominent street number can expect to receive a letter, setting out the requirements of the Council’s Public Places and Signs Bylaw. A follow-up inspection will be made to ensure that the number is being displayed.

Under the bylaw, the owner or occupier of any land or building that has been given a number by the Council must display it in a position visible from the road. The number must be made from non-ferrous metal, plastic or other weather resistant material and coloured to contrast with the surrounding fixture.

Numbers also need to be at least 50 millimetres high and displayed at the main entrance to a property.

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