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District Plan

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​On 7 August 2014, Council formally approved the adoption of the second generation Ashburton District Plan.

This decision was notified on 14 August 2014 and the District Plan formally became operative on 25 August 2014.

Please also note that Environment Canterbury (the Canterbury Regional Council) imposes additional consenting requirements for certain activities. It is advised that you phone Environment Canterbury on 0800 324 636 (0800 EC INFO) or visit their webpage​ for more information.

Removal of Minimum Parking Standards

The Ashburton District Council gives notice that, in accordance with the requirements of the National Policy Statement - Urban Development 2020, the Ashburton District Plan is required to be amended to remove minimum car parking requirements and that the Plan will be so amended from 20 February 2022.​

The National Policy Statement can be viewed on the Ministry for the Environment website here

Plan Change 1

Plan Change 1 became operative on 20 April 2017.​

View the Recommendations on Plan Change 1 adopted as Council Decisions
View the Appendices to the Decisions

Plan Change 2

​View the Recommendations on Plan Change 2 adopted as Council Decisions​​

​Plan Change 3​​

Farmers Corner Development Limited lodged a private plan change request with the Council which was made operative on 29 January 2021.

Plan Change 4

Ashburton District Council has prepared Plan Change 4 to its Operative District Plan (2014). See here​ for full details.​

Barhill Village Design Guidance

The Barrhill Village just out of Rakaia has a historic character which is unique in the District and because of this, the District Plan has some special rules and controls to ensure that development preserves and enhances that character. To help people who are intending to buy or do work within the settlement, the Council has prepared an informal design guidance document which provides some history of the settlement and the design features that we will be looking for in resource consent applications.



The plan contains rules that may affect you if you are making a development or land-use proposal. To find out what is allowed to happen on a piece of land or in a neighbourhood (your area's zoning), refer to the District Plan Maps and Zones page.

When you have selected the map you are interested in:

1. Check which zone the site is in

The colour of the site will refer to a residential, commercial, central or recreational zone. Ashburton District Council divides zoning and other relevant information into chapters (listed below), these contain the rules and policies.

2. Check for symbols on the site

Symbols can represent a protected tree or building. If there are symbols, you will need to look at the key and then the relevant chapter below.

Operative District Plan