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District Plan Review

What is the District Plan Review?

The District Plan is one of Council’s most important plans - it sets the rules for how we manage our environment to protect it for future generations. The needs of the community change over time so the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) requires us to review the District Plan every ten years. We need to start reviewing every part of the plan by 2015.

What sections are currently under review?

Plan Change 47 focuses on zoning provisions and development controls in Matamata, Morrinsville and Te Aroha. The extent of residential, rural-residential, business and industrial zoning will be reviewed, as well as the development controls and subdivision provisions for those zones in the three towns.

 

What sections have been reviewed already?

Plan Change 51 introduced a Development Concept Plan (DCP) for the Open Country Dairy milk processing factory site in Factory Road, Waharoa. This plan change became operative on 5 June 2019

Plan Change 48 reviews the trees protected by Schedule 3 “Outstanding or significant natural features and trees and other protected items” in the District Plan. An aborist assessed all the trees currently included on Schedule 3, and we reviewed the provisions of the District Plan that relate to protected trees. This plan change became operative on 24 May 2017

Plan Changes 43 and 44 review the sections of the District Plan relating to Transport and Works and Network Utilities (sections 8 and 9). These sections include provisions on the issues of vehicle entranceways, car parking, noise effects of railways and state highways, transmission lines and telecommunication towers, and where renewable energy generation can occur. These plan changes became operative on 21 October 2015.

Private Plan Change 46 - Development Concept Plan (DCP) for Poultry Processing & Manufacturing, Waitoa seeks to amend the Development Concept Plan for the Inghams Enterprises NZ (Pty) poultry processing factory in Waitoa. The purpose of the proposed plan change is to reflect the current situation at the factory (including incorporating all existing resource consents) and to provide for future growth. This plan change became operative on 23 December 2015.

Plan Change 42 – Rural Subdivision reviewed the provisions in the District Plan relating to subdivision of rural land. This included addressing the issues of loss of high quality soils through fragmentation of titles and the adverse effects of rural-residential growth in the Rural zone. It also included some minor corrections to zoning (from Rural to Residential) on the District Plan maps, in locations where residential subdivision had already occurred.

This plan change became operative on 4 December 2013.

Plan Change 41: Integration of the Development Manual and the District Plan, including Urban Design. Plan Change 41 amended the provisions of the District Plan to provide for the integration of the Development Manual and the District Plan, and to include changes to the District Plan in respect of urban design.

The intention of these changes was to ensure that the type, form and quality of infrastructure being built meet Council’s requirements and community expectations while also allowing for consideration of alternative designs and solutions. In terms of urban design, the intent was to ensure that residential subdivision and development within the District is meeting current best practice.

Plan Change 41 became operative on operative on 20 July 2012.