State

Subdivision in the Rural Zone

The Matamata-Piako District is made up of six zones; Rural, Residential, Rural Residential (still proposed), Industrial, Business and Kaitiaki (Conservation). The rural zone consists of large areas of productive soils and pasture. Traditionally these areas have been used for dairy farming, cattle farming, horticulture and other primary production activities. With an increase in the demand for land for residential and other non-productive uses, particularly in a rural setting, some of this highly productive rural land has been developed into smaller lots making them unviable as farming units.

Currently 116,278 ha of land is zoned rural with potential for productive use. This comprises 66% of the total area of the district. It is important that this land is not fragmented by development for housing or other non-productive uses. Council controls subdivision and development in the rural zone to prevent this from occurring.

The District Plan has rules controlling development in the rural area. These rules are designed to discourage the development of smaller lots (less than 8ha) in the rural zone by requiring resource consent to be obtained for subdivision for lots below this size. In 1997/98 30 new lots of 1 hectare or less were created in the rural zone and 9 in the rural residential zone. The Table above summarises the rural and rural residential subdivisions created in the District. There was only one resource consent for subdivision in the rural zone declined in 1998.

Development on classes I, II and III soils

Class I, II and III soils are very fertile and highly productive for farming and horticulture. There are 116,278 ha, or 66%, of the district is zoned rural and is of class I, II or III soils. These soils are an important resource for the district farming and horticultural activities and support the District's wider community.

In 1997/98 there were 131 new lots of less than 8 ha created on class I, II and III soils in the rural and rural residential zone. The average lot size for properties in the rural zone is 18ha. There were no applications for resource consents for non-productive activities on class I, II and III soils in 1998

The figures indicate that subdivision and development is occurring in the rural and rural residential areas in the District. This means that areas of the highly productive class I, II and III soils are being divided up into small lots for housing development.