Major changes afoot for region’s plans

All eight councils in the Auckland region publicly notified changes to regional and local planning documents today. The changes will affect residents and businesses across the region.

Seven local councils have made changes to their District Plans, which outline what activities can happen in particular areas, and the ARC has reviewed parts of its overarching plan (the Regional Policy Statement), which provides guidance for managing the effects of development on the region’s natural and physical resources.

The changes cover:

what and where different types of growth and development should happen

high and low density housing (e.g. apartments and townhouses)

transport networks

the urban area boundary

rural and country living

the need to have an urban environment with high quality development and good design.

A brochure outlining the changes will be distributed to all households in the region from 4 April.

All Aucklanders can provide comments and are invited to make a submission on the proposed changes and revisions. Submissions close at 5pm on Tuesday 31 May 2005.

Copies of the proposed changes to the Regional Policy Statement and District Plans are available from all local libraries, local council offices, or by phoning 09 366 2000. All changes, details on how to make a submission, including a submission form, can be viewed online at www.arc.govt.nz/aucklandplans.

Once the changes are finalised, the plans will be aligned with how transport is now being planned, managed and delivered since the establishment of Auckland Regional Transport Authority and Auckland Regional Holdings in 2004, and the billions of dollars to be invested in transport throughout the region over the next decade.

The changes will also mean that planning documents will better implement the Regional Growth Strategy – a plan for how the effects of population growth in the region are managed over the next 50 years.

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