Long Term Plan 2021-2031
Next year we will be writing our Long Term Plan, which sets out what we will be focussing on across our district for the next ten years. To help us get on the right track, we conducted a survey across August and September 2020 to find out what is most important to residents.
Head over to It’s Our Place for further information and learn how we are progressing with the plan for the our district.
Baring Square East Project
Our plans for the new library and civic centre are well progressed, with the preparation for calling tenders commencing in September 2020. To complement this facility, Council plans to rejuvenate Baring Square East.
We have been working with Athfield Architecture to develop a concept plan for what this rejuvenation could look like.
These are the key changes- Development of Baring Square East as a one-way slow street (30 km/hour) with pedestrian-friendly access and some short-term parking for visitors
- Creating a ‘civic plaza’ linkage between Baring Square East and the entrance to the Ashburton Library and Civic Centre
- Replacing the existing mix of different types of paving with basalt paving to enhance the look of the area
- Raising the water feature stepping slabs so they are the same level as the surrounding paving
- Upgrading the existing timber seats to blend in with the Library and Civic Centre
- Simplifying the planting in Baring Square.
We accepted feedback on the proposals in August and September 2020. Feedback closed Wednesday 16 September.
Draft Rates Remission PolicyCouncil is looking to amend its Rates Remission Policy for 2020/21. The policy currently allows ratepayers to receive a rate penalty write off once in a 24 month period.
Given the current economic uncertainty from the impact of COVID-19, Council is proposing to waive the "once in 24 months" rule for the 2020/21 financial year. This means that ratepayers will be able to apply to the Council to have a rate penalty waived even if the Council has already waived a penalty for them in the past 24 months.
This consultation is only on the rates penalty remissions. Submission on other aspects of the policy will be considered as part of the next full review of the Policy.
The consultation is closed.
We encourage you to have a look at the following supporting information:
Consultation document - Rates Remission Policy
Draft Rates Remission Policy
Draft Revenue & Financing Policy
We are reviewing its Revenue & Financing Policy and are proposing some changes. This policy sets out how we as a Council charge for the services we provide. The key issues we are consulting on include how we fund:
- Elderly Persons Housing
- Stockwater Management, and
- Wastewater
We are also looking at some rating boundary changes, the most notable being extensions for our Solid Waste collection service.
We want to know what you think about our proposed policy – this is your chance to have your say in how we charge rates in the district.
The consultation is closed.
Watch the online Stockwater Rate Q&A here..
Draft Development and Financial Contributions
Policy
Ashburton continues to be a growing district with our forecast to grow to 43,449 by 2048. Council must make sure that essential assets and services can cope with growing demand. At the same time, fairly allocating the costs of growth between existing users and new developments. The development and financial contributions policy is the tool available to Council to achieve fair shares in the allocation of capital expenditure for growth.
The latest review proposes:
- Increases in development contributions that reflect the level of current and future expenditure on assets for growth
- Changes to rules on capacity credits to give property owners more time to redevelop vacant or earthquake-prone or buildings without losing credits from previous use.
- Changes to the trigger for requiring a DC so that the Policy is consistent with Council’s practice around network extensions.
We want to know if you agree with our proposed Policy – this is your chance to have your say.
The consultation is closed.
Hearings for those who wish to speak to their submission will be held on Tuesday 18 August 2020.
Phase one report
Draft Ashburton Domain Development Plan
The Ashburton Domain is an important and much-loved space for both residents and visitors to our area. This is why we are developing a plan for the Ashburton Domain for the next 30 years.
Our draft plan covers what improvements we think should happen over the next 30 years, with the aim to:
• celebrate the waterway,
• create a cohesive play environment,
• increase access from the town, and
• establish a Central Hub at the heart of the Domain.
On Friday 28 February we opened consultation on our proposed plan. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, consultation was extended, closing Sunday 5 July.
Hearings for those who wish to speak to their submission will be held on Monday 10 August 2020.
We received 164 submissions, with 40 submitters requesting to speak to Council at the hearing.
See here for the submissions received.
For details of the plan, see the documents below:
We also developed a video for the consultation which explains some key projects of the draft plan.
Councillors will discuss the feedback received through the consultation on Tuesday 11 August. A report will then go to the Community Services committee held on 27 August 2020, with Council making a final decision on the plan at their meeting held 24 September 2020. Following this, anyone who submitted and provided contact details will receive a letter explaining the decisions made by Council.
District speed limit review
At the 19 December 2019 Council meeting, the decision was made to consult on a range of changes to the speed limits across our district. Consultation was undertaken from 24 January to 8 March 2020, with an open day held on 17 February 2020. 204 submissions were received.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hearings and deliberations were delayed until 22 June 2020, where 14 submitters presented in person at the hearing.
Following consideration of all of the feedback, a number of changes were made to the original proposal, with the final speed limits adopted 13 August 2020.
Adopted speed limits
Ashton Beach Enhancement Project
This project is to enhance Council’s land at Ashton Beach. We developed two options for works to occur at the site.
Option 1
Fence the entire donga area and replace the existing boundary fence to protect the important biodiversity on Council land within the area.
Option 2
Fence the riskiest part of the donga area and replace the existing boundary fence to protect the important biodiversity on Council land within the area.
To view the full details along with a map of the proposed fences, view the
consultation flyer here.
Feedback closed 7 February 2020, and we are now considering this feedback.
Rakaia Salmon Site Enhancement Project
The Rakaia Salmon Site on State Highway 1 is used by local residents and has become a busy place to stop for visitors passing through the district. The Site needs to be enhanced to cope with increasing demand, high usage of toilets, and to improve the visual appearance through additional landscaping. This project aims to work with the community to improve the usability and appearance of the Site.
We are proposing the following enhancements to the site:
Key feature | Explanation |
New toilets | Replacing the existing toilets with a new ten-pan toilet block that provides wheelchair access, an external row of hand basins, a drinking fountain, and associated entrance paths with bollards |
Solar powered rubbish bins | Installing an additional bin with internal compactors |
Concrete paths | New hardstand centralised area that includes concrete paths of varying widths inlaid with wooden sleepers to provide year round dry underfoot access |
Additional seating | Including picnic tables |
Signage detailing Rakaia’s history | Installation of a series of interpretative signage detailing the history of Rakaia to provide a short loop walk around the site |
Playground equipment | Additional playground equipment and the centralisation of existing equipment within the site |
Landscaping | Soft landscaping to include native garden area to provide shelter, improve aesthetics and control foot traffic |
Dump Station | We have heard concern expressed with the current dump station and plan on relocating this out of the Salmon Site to an alternative location in Rakaia |
We know there are concerns amongst Rakaia residents that ratepayers are picking up the bill for toilets used mainly by tourists. This is the reason we have applied for funding from the Government. We have received nearly $740,000 towards this project from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund for the replacement of the toilets and some of the landscaping. The Rakaia Lions are generously contributing $20,000 towards this project and with Council have engaged a landscape architect to prepare a landscape plan. The remaining $198,000 will be funded from existing Council budgets that had been ring-fenced for upgrades in Rakaia’s open spaces.
View the site plan here.
You can view the feedback
here.
Proposed Ashburton Library and Civic Centre
It is one of the biggest projects to happen in our district, and will be here for many years to come. We need your help to get this project right, and future-proof this important community asset. Help us decide what kind of public library Ashburton District residents will need as part of this significant project.
What is this about?
Ashburton District Council has been working towards a new Ashburton Library and Civic Centre for our community for a number of years. The current buildings are no longer fit for purpose and are considered to be an earthquake risk. Left in its current state, the Library will close its doors in 2022. We have discovered that the money needed to build a joint Ashburton Library and Civic Centre (which was budgeted in the Long Term Plan 2018-28 as $22 million) is not enough to build the new facility. Costs of construction have risen significantly since that figure was estimated in 2016, earthquake building standards have increased, and the available information at the time did not adequately account for the space that will be needed in the building.
More money is needed to build the Ashburton Library and Civic Centre. Four library options were available to choose from, each with their own features and cost. Included in these options is one that is vastly different from what was agreed on in the Long Term Plan 2018-28: two separate buildings for the Library and Civic Centre instead of a combined one.
Submissions on the proposed Ashburton Library and Civic Centre closed at 5pm, Sunday 14 April 2019.
View the submissions received
NOTE: Image is an artist impression and the actual build may vary. The options presented are for the building only.
Proposed Climate Change Policy
Ashburton District Council proposed to adopt a new policy to guide its approach to climate change issues affecting our District. Submissions closed on Friday 5 April 2019.
View the submissions received.
Proposed Surface Water Strategy 2018
Council prepared a draft Surface Water Strategy to detail how we will work with our community and other organisations to make our vision to sustainably manage our surface water resources a reality.
The strategy:
- Defines "surface water" as lakes, rivers, springs, wetlands, rainfall and Council's water race network;
- Provides information on the surface water systems Council manages and current work Council undertakes;
- Identifies key issues around surface water management for consideration;
- Sets out how Council will work with the community and stakeholders; and
- Identifies activities Council will do over the next 10 years.
Consultation closed at 5pm on 4 November 2018.
Draft Solid Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw
Solid waste collection and disposal is a core service Councils provide to their communities. Under the Local Government Act 2002, Councils have the authority to make bylaws to protect the public from nuisance and to protect, promote and maintain public health and safety. Council's old Solid Waste Bylaw was last adopted in 2012 and became out of date in 2018.
The bylaw enables Council to achieve its Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP) goals, reduce the environmental harm of waste and ensure the health and safety of waste collectors, operators and the public is protected.
In general, the proposed Solid Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw supports
- Implementation of Council's Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2016;
- Regulation of collection, transport and processing of waste;
- A registration system for waste collectors and operators;
- Protection of health and safety of waste collectors, waste operators and the public; and
- Management of litter and nuisance in public places.
Consultation on the draft bylaw closed at 5pm, Sunday 21 October 2018.
Ashburton CBD Revitalisation Project
Council welcomed feedback from the community on our plans to help revitalise the Ashburton Central Business District (CBD). Through this project, we are seeking to reinforce the importance of the CBD, reclaim retail spend for our district, and attract businesses back to the commercial centre.
Consultation closed 5pm, Friday 22 June, 2018.
Click here to view the Ashburton CBD Streetscape Renewal Issues and Options Report
Learn more about the Ashburton CBD Revitalisation Project
Representation Review 2018
We reviewed the current democratic representation arrangements in Ashburton District. As part of our pre-consultation review, we ran a survey to help our Council develop an initial proposal.
The initial proposal consultation closed on Monday 18 June 2018.
About the Review
Representation Reviews are used to look at the best way to represent our district. This means looking at the number of councillors, the areas they represent, and the specific communities within the district.
Under the Local Electoral Act 2001, all councils have to review their representation arrangements at least once every six years. This is called the 'Representation Review'.
We last reviewed our representation arrangements in 2012, so it is now time for us to review our arrangements again before the 2019 election.
Prior to undertaking the representation review, we needed to undertake two related processes, which we did in 2017:
- review the electoral system to be used; and
- consider whether to establish a Māori Ward for Ashburton District.
More information can be found by visiting the Local Government Commission’s website.
The timetable for the review is set by the Local Government Commission.
| Decision on Electoral System (FPP or STV) | By 12 September 2017 |
| Decision on whether to establish Maori Wards | By 23 November 2017 |
| "Initial" proposal made | No earlier than 1 March 2018 or by 31 August 2018 if establishing Maori wards |
| Submissions close | Not less than one month after public notice. If no submissions, proposal becomes "final" |
| If submissions – consider and may amend proposal. "Final" proposal publicly notified | Within 6 weeks of closing date for submissions |
| Appeals and objections close | Not less than one month after date of public notice. Not later than 20 December 2018 |
| If no appeals or objections, proposal becomes "final" | Public notice given where no appeals and/or objections – no fixed date |
| If appeals/objections – forward everything to Local Government Commission (LGC ) | As soon as practical, but no later than 15 January 2019. |
Draft Long-Term Plan 2018-28
We’re in the process of developing our next Long-Term Plan which sets out the vision for Our Place over the next ten years. We’ve developed a draft plan for the next ten years, dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s, but now we need your help to make sure we are on the right track. We need you to let us know if we have it right or what you think needs changing. It is Our Place and Our Future, so let’s design it together.
For this LTP asked for your feedback on five big projects:
- Our Roading Network
- Our Transportation Upgrades – Second Urban Bridge
- Our Water – Future Planning
- Our Recreation – EA Networks Centre Development
- Our Economy – Economic Development Strategy.
Read the full draft Long-Term Plan
Consultation on the Draft Long-Term Plan closed at 5pm, Monday 14 May 2018. Thank you to everyone who submitted their feedback.
Community Meetings
Community meetings were held in the following hot spots around the district:
| Date | Location | Venue |
Tuesday 17 April | Ashburton | Community Meeting Room, Council Chambers, 2 Baring Square East, Ashburton
6.30 – 8.30pm |
Wednesday 18 April | Methven | Mt Hutt Memorial Hall Meeting Room, 160 Main Street, Methven
6.30 – 8.30pm |
Monday 23 April | Hakatere | Hakatere Hall
6.30 – 8.30pm |
Monday 30 April | Mayfield | Mayfield Memorial Hall,
State Highway 72
6.30 – 8.30pm |
Tuesday 1 May | Hinds | Hinds Community Hall, 20 Rogers Street, Hinds
6.30 – 8.30pm |
Wednesday 2 May | Rakaia | Rakaia Rugby Club,1 Elizabeth Ave, Rakaia
6.30 – 8.30pm |
Wednesday 9 May | Ashburton | Community Meeting Room, Council Chambers, 2 Baring Square East, Ashburton
12.00 – 2.00pm |
If you have any questions about the Draft Long-Term Plan, get in touch with us on (03) 307 7700 or email communityplanning@adc.govt.nz