District Planning

District Councils are required by the Resource Management Act to carry out District Planning. We do this primarily through the District Plan, which identifies the environmental features of the District and how the Council proposes to manage and monitor these. The Act requires the Council to monitor the effectiveness of the District Plan and to monitor the state of the environment within the District.

The Council recognises the need to balance environmental issues with economic, social and cultural aspirations and the District Plan is the Council’s principal planning document, setting out the methods and processes Council will use to manage the District’s natural and built environment. There are also important policies and objectives in the District Plan.

Other Council Planning responsibilities include advocacy on behalf of the District in respect to new laws, plans, policies, strategies and proposals produced by central and local government agencies, (such as the Regional Council), which may affect the people of the District. By doing this the Council can strive to achieve the best possible outcomes for the District while maintaining sustainable use and impact on the environment.

Resource Consent Applications

Resource Consents are required for activities that are not permitted as of right in the District Plan. The consent process enables the Council to assess the effects an activity will have on the environment and to put in place measures that will eliminate or mitigate any potentially detrimental environmental effects.

Consents fall into two categories, those for the subdivision of land, and those for land use activities. Resource consents are processed and monitored in accordance with the requirements of the Resource Management Act.

The Council fees for Resource Consent processing have been set to enable cost recovery only and many associated services and requests for information are provided free of charge.