C hapter 10 - U rban Environm ents The objective and policies are designed to ensure that community health issues are taken care of, prior to undertaking any residential development. Refer also to Chapter 14: Discharges of Waste to Land. 10.2.4.2 Methods of Implementation Rules Plan rules require all subdivisions and developments for residential purposes to provide water supply and waste treatment and disposal which meets specified standards. Plan rules require all subdivisions in the Rai Valley Urban Residential and Sounds Residential areas to make satisfactory provision for on-site water supply and effluent and stormwater disposal (where a community sewage disposal system is not available). Other Buildings intended for human occupation will be required, Legislation in terms of the Building Act 1991, to comply with standards to provide adequate supply of potable water and means of disposal of sewage effluent. Guidelines The Council will make available its Code of Practice for Subdivision and Land Development which sets out a means of compliance with the Plan’s requirements for water supply and wastes disposal services. Compliance with the Code will be deemed to be compliance with the Plan. The Council will develop guidelines or Codes of Practice to assist residents select, install and operate alternative supply and disposal systems. Plan rules are considered to be the minimum necessary to ensure that the installation and operation of water supply and wastes treatment and disposal systems meet desired community health and environmental standards. The Plan does not prescribe the specific methods that must be used for on-site water supply or waste disposal but specifies the standards to be met. 10.2.5 Issue The need to encourage energy efficiency in the residential environment. The design and layout of residential subdivisions together with the location and design of individual buildings can influence energy use. Residential settlements which extend new roads long distances beyond central community services can give rise to unnecessarily lengthy journeys by vehicle to and from those services. The orientation of buildings on individual sites so as to receive maximum sun is an accepted rule of thumb in the New Zealand building industry. Building location, in the first instance, will strongly influence the success of design features intended to maximise solar energy use (for example solar water heating and window placement for passive solar space heating). It is therefore important that the design of subdivisions enables the future siting of buildings to maximise orientation to the sun. 10 - 15