District Plan Review
Published on 22 February 2022
2021 was a big year for the District Plan Review, starting with landowner engagement in March/April. The Council kicked off last year with an early round of discussion with landowners who will potentially be affected by changes being considered in some of the areas where Council seeks to protect the districts’ biodiversity, natural landscapes/features and cultural heritage. We also spoke to communities who may be affected by natural hazards along the coast and further inland.
The last quarter of 2021 then saw the release of the draft Ōamaru, Weston and Kakanui Spatial Plan for community feedback. We had a high level of response to the draft Spatial Plan, and we are currently preparing to report all the feedback to elected members for their consideration and working towards the adoption of the Spatial Plan document in the coming months.
2022 is promising to be another big year for the District Plan Review. In preparation, we have expanded the team by adding an experienced Communications Specialist to the mix. The team is also currently busy with:
- Working through all the feedback from the landowner engagement process
- Finishing off all the draft objectives, policies and rules which will be released alongside the draft mapping in winter this year for informal community feedback.
Once the draft District Plan is released for feedback, this will be an opportunity for the community to share your thoughts around how Council is looking at implementing the Spatial Plan vision and outcomes, along with other planning and environmental issues such as:
- Enabling housing growth
- Creating more choices and affordability within the district
- Protecting what is important within our district
- Responding to climate change
- Managing the risk of natural hazards throughout the Waitaki District.
The draft District Plan will also provide another informal opportunity for landowners to give us their feedback on the draft mapping, overlays and zones affecting their land.
Next Steps
Council will release a draft District Plan for community feedback
Council will analyse and consider the feedback received on the draft District Plan and amend the Plan where appropriate.
Prepare to notify the public about the Proposed District Plan
The Proposed District Plan is a formal consultation process under the Resource Management Act involving public submissions, hearings, decisions, and an appeal process, if required. It is likely that a Proposed District Plan will not be formally notified until 2023.
Important to Note: Please remember that the release of the Draft District Plan is an informal process and none of the rules or mapping have any legal effect. It is a really great opportunity for everyone to tell us their thoughts on what Council is looking to change about the way we manage land use, subdivision, and development in the district.
The team will let everyone know when the draft District Plan is scheduled to be released for community feedback.