Submissions reopen for Waimakariri District Plan

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

The Waimakariri District Council is seeking further feedback on the proposed Waimakariri District Plan.

Council staff have notified a summary of submissions to the proposed District Plan, which was first notified in September last year.

The summary of submissions includes variations notified in August in response to new medium density housing standards applying to the Greater Christchurch area.

This followed the passing of the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 in December.

This directed the council to adopt medium density housing standards for the district’s main urban areas.

The new standards allowed for up to three homes and buildings of up to three storeys to be built on some sites without a resource consent, provided certain conditions were met.

Conditions included maximum heights, setbacks from boundaries, no more more than 50% of land covered by buildings and at least 20% of the section must be landscaped with trees, grass or garden beds. Building consents would still be required.

The legislation allowed councils to identify areas deemed inappropriate for medium density housing and the submissions process was an opportunity for residents to help council staff to identify those areas. Qualifying reasons included natural hazards, lack of infrastructure and character.

The proposed District Plan, notified last year, also introduced a rural lifestyle zone in the east of the district with a four hectare minimum section and a general rural zone in the west with a 20-hectare minimum.
This was in a bid to protect the district's rural character.

The new submission process is an opportunity to comment on the submissions which have been received, but not a call for new submission points, council staff said.

The summary of submissions can be viewed on the council’s website, waimakariri.govt.nz/districtplanreview, or by visiting a council library or service centre. Submissions close at 5pm on Monday, November 21.

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