Central Hawke’s Bay Proposed District Plan Notified

With unprecedented growth and subdivision, Central Hawke’s Bay District Council has today taken an important step to ensure a thriving future for the District, resolving to formally notify its Proposed District Plan in accordance with the Resource Management Act, on Friday, May 28 2021.
 
A ten-year rule book for activities like subdivision and land use - the District Plan affects everyone in the community, and sets out to sustainably manage the District’s natural assets for generations to come.
 
It was prioritised by a newly elected Council in 2017, following the development of Project Thrive, but the Central Hawke’s Bay of today is vastly different to when the project commenced in 2017.
 
With the current operative District Plan now nearly 20-years-old, the need to progress with a robust and full review was critical to the District.
 
“It was only seven years ago that our District’s population was declining and we were going backwards. Fast-forward to today and we have subdivision, new homes and new families in our District – that simply would not have been imagined in 2014,” Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Alex Walker said.
 
“With the surge of optimisation and growth we are experiencing, prioritising the District Plan review will pay off, ensuring the community is as prepared as possible for a thriving Central Hawke’s Bay of the future. To deliver the review of an entire District Plan in under four years, including widely consulting with the community on a draft plan in 2019, is almost unheard of.”
 
The Proposed District Plan delivers on the community’s vision, developed during Project Thrive, while recognising the important role of tangata whenua as kaitiaki of the District, and providing a platform for long-term, enduring partnerships to grow. 
 
It also outlines how the District will sustainably manage things that are important to the community today, and meet the needs of future generations of tomorrow - like the size and feel of our towns.
 
It tells us where we can build infrastructure, like homes, roads and deliver subdivision, while protecting precious productive and versatile soils, heritage, flora, fauna, and significant natural areas.
 
Preservation of the District’s regionally and nationally significant, highly productive soils was a key focus, with land suitable for rural production providing half of Central Hawke’s Bay’s income and half of its employment opportunities.
 
With Council formally approving the plan for notification, it will now enter a formal legal phase, under the Resource Management Act 1991, where the consideration of issues is delegated to qualified Commissioners.
 
Some parts of the plan, including heritage and significant natural area provisions, will have immediate legal effect.
 
Following the formal submission period, closing on August 6, 2021, submissions will be gathered and hearings held under the Resource Management Act 1991 by the Commissioners, who will then make changes and recommend a final plan for adoption by Council.
 
“I encourage you to understand how the Proposed District Plan may impact on you and your property,” Mayor Alex Walker said.
 
“The formal Resource Management Act process we are in, is completely different to any normal Council consultation and decision making process, so please make the time to find out more information and make a formal submission – it’s the only way you can actively participate in the process.”
 
The submission period will be open from Friday, May 28 to Friday, August 6, 2021. For more information, including drop in sessions with Council’s planners, an online submission form, or to view the plan in its e-plan format head to: www.chbdc.govt.nz/district-plan
 
You will find hard copies of the plan, and the submission form, at Council Offices in Waipawa, at Waipawa Library, and Council’s Service Centre in Waipukurau.
 
Questions or requests for more information can be emailed to: districtplan@chbdc.govt.nz.
 
ENDS
 
AUTHORISED BY CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MONIQUE DAVIDSON

Media contact 
Monique Davidson, Chief Executive | T 06 857 8060, M 027 422 9977 
Amy Shanks, Communications Support | M 027 307 9548

4 June 2021

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