“Omnibus” plan change to be made operative

Environment Canterbury announced today that Plan Change 4 to the Land & Water Regional Plan, the “Omnibus” plan change, would be made operative on 11 March 2017.

Councillor Peter Skelton said the plan change covers a range of issues and applies throughout Canterbury, including in areas where a sub-region section of the Land & Water Regional Plan has been developed.

“It is pleasing that the rules regarding removal of vegetation from braided river beds have been strengthened,” Professor Skelton said. “Further, the stock exclusion rules now define braided river beds to make it easier to understand how to comply with the rules.

“The plan change also puts in place new provisions to protect areas of potential inanga spawning habitat. The effect of this is to prohibit farmed cattle, deer and pigs from more lowland waterbodies than is currently the case.”

The Omnibus Plan Change amends the rules on exclusion of non-intensively farmed cattle from high country lakes. Existing Land & Water Regional Plan prohibitions are unaffected, with limited exceptions. “The change makes the rules regarding non-intensively farmed cattle standing in some lakes more practical,” Professor Skelton said. “Applying these rules is more straightforward on the Canterbury Plains than in the high country. In the high country, the challenges of excluding cattle from standing in water on these vast properties are considerable and the impact on water quality may well be minor.”

Strong prohibitions remain in place - stock in waterways can have a substantial environmental impact on areas such as spawning sites. “It is a non-complying activity for intensively farmed stock to use and disturb the bed and banks of any lake. Environment Canterbury’s compliance response to these activities will be followed through,” Professor Skelton said.

Another key topic covered by the Omnibus Plan Change is community drinking water.

The change to the definition of community drinking water supply means any supply listed on the drinking water register, and which supplies drinking water to no fewer than 25 persons per year is treated as a “community drinking water supply”. The previous definition provided protection only to supplies that served more than 500 people. Some activities within the protection zone of a community drinking water supply will require consent.

The plan change also amends the policies and rules relating to management and operation of stormwater discharges into and from reticulated stormwater systems. It requires operators of these systems to implement methods to manage the quality and quantity of all stormwater entering their system. From 2025, they must be responsible for all stormwater discharged from the system.

Application of the rules
The Omnibus Plan Change applies throughout Canterbury, except where the activity is subject to policies and rules in:
• a separate plan – for example, a catchment-specific plan; or
• a sub-region section of the Land & Water Regional plan and those provisions prevail over the region-wide provisions of that plan.

For video clips on the key impacts of the Omnibus Plan Change, go towww.ecan.govt.nz/lwrp-pc4

© Scoop Media