Backflip: New Hastings Sikh temple granted resource consent by council

Hastings District Councillors listen to the Sikh community at a hearing committee over planning permission for a new temple. Photo / Warren Buckland

The Hastings District Council has granted a resource consent to the Hawke's Bay Sikh community to build a temple on plains production land on the outskirts of Hastings.

The decision, a massive backflip after the Sikh community objected to a decision to deny consent, and was finalised and signed off on Tuesday, November 5.

HDC gave a number of reasons for granting the consent, subject to conditions, to the Sikh community to build a gurudwara at 28 Richmond Rd, Tomoana.

In the decision Councillor George Lyon said while the proposal was not consistent with key objectives and policies around the use of Plains Production Zone, the committee was satisfied, by a narrow margin that it was not contrary to the district plan.

Lyons also stated that the application was consistent with the Resource Management Act and provided for the social and cultural wellbeing of the community.

The Richmond Rd property was bought by the society in 2010.

They entered into a sale and purchase agreement to buy the land in early July 2010.

The land was in the Plains zone but in the 2013 Hastings District Plan there were rules for district-wide activities.

The purchase was completed on August 12, 2010.

The proposed Hastings District Plan, which came into effect in September 2015, made it a non-complying activity for new Places of Assembly to establish in rural areas.

The resource consent application for the temple was lodged with council in May 2018.

The decision to grant consent was resolved by the HDC hearings committee at a hearing which commenced on July 29.