11 August 2015

Proposed South Taranaki District Plan – Open for submissions 15 August 2015

Submissions open this Saturday 15 August on the South Taranaki District Council’s (STDC) Proposed District Plan.

STDC planning manager, Blair Sutherland says the Council has spent the last 18 months reviewing its existing District Plan, which has been in place since 2004, and has developed a new Proposed District Plan to replace it.

“We want to know what people think about the Proposed Plan, to let us know where we have got things right and where they’d like to see changes,” says Mr Sutherland.

Mr Sutherland says the District Plan is the key document the Council uses to manage the way land is used, developed, protected and subdivided in the district.

“Essentially it controls what development and activities you can undertake on your property whether it be an urban, rural, commercial or industrial property, so it’s really important that people have an opportunity to give feedback on our proposal,” he says.

Mr Sutherland says there are a number of changes between the current (2004) District Plan and the Proposed (2015) District Plan which interested parties should look out for.

“Some of the changes include introducing more flexible parking standards for new development in the commercial areas and creating more flexibility for modifying heritage buildings. We are also proposing to clarify the location and extent of the Coastal Protection Area and what activities require or don’t require resource consent,” says Mr Sutherland.

“Other changes relate to introducing identified outstanding natural features and landscapes and areas of outstanding natural character, with restrictive rules for development in these areas. We are also proposing to have tighter controls on the number of dwellings on rural properties and rules for rural subdivision to protect the productivity of rural areas and maintain rural character,” he says.

Mr Sutherland says full and summary copies of the Proposed South Taranaki District Plan, and accompanying submission forms will be available on the Council website www.southtaranaki.com from 15 August. Hard copies will also be available for public inspection from 15 August at the Council Administration Building on Albion St, Hawera and from any one of its LibraryPlus centres throughout the district.

“If you have any questions about our Proposed District Plan, please call me or the planning team on 0800 111 323,” says Mr Sutherland.

Public submissions on the Council’s Proposed South Taranaki District Plan close at 4pm on Monday 12 October.

Once the Proposed South Taranaki District Plan 2015 becomes operative, it will replace the South Taranaki District Plan 2004.

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