Comments wanted on District Plan

The rules for everything from where you can build a house, subdivide a section to where you can put up a sign are about to be reviewed as part of Rotorua council's District Plan process.
Rotorua's District Plan has not been reviewed since it first became operational in 1996 and council officers have been working on a review since 2007.
Rotorua district councillors have attended more than 40 workshops in that time to craft the plan's direction and address major issues.
Council chief executive Peter Guerin said the District Plan was the culmination of a long list of planning processes council had recently been involved in, including the Central Business District Revitalisation Plan, Lakefront Development Concept Plan and Urban Design Framework.
"It's been an enormous job and we have taken our work on the draft plan very seriously ... we've had a lot of discussion with developers, consultants, major property owners, iwi and investors. The idea is that when we come out sometime in July with the final draft we hope to be pretty close to meeting what the community are expecting."
The District Plan sets out the rules and regulations for everything from subdividing land to the management of noise and the protection of natural and cultural heritage sites. It will cover important issues such as improving water quality, revitalising the city centre, economic growth and facilitating the development of Maori-owned land.
The council's Planning Services manager Tracey May said releasing the first draft of the plan before the statutory consultation process began was an opportunity for people to make comment before a final draft was produced.
"This is all about what you and your neighbours can do on their land ... it impacts people's private property rights on a daily basis so it's very important.
"What we are doing is reviewing a 15-plus-year-old document that is no longer going in the direction the community is.
"It's a no-surprises approach ... and we hope the next District Plan is going to be user-friendly and approachable for the everyday person on the street," Ms May said.
A group of independent expert consultants were contracted by council to peer review the initial draft which was released for public feedback on Saturday.
Independent consultant and former Rotorua District Engineer Paul Sampson said he was pleased with what he had seen of the draft plan and that it was a lot more positive than the previous one.
"It's all well and good encouraging growth, but you have to have policy in place to make that happen.
"I'd like to see a much more user-friendly document so that when you pick it up you know what you can or can't do instead of digging into the bowels of the document to see what the rules actually are."
The Rotorua District Council's draft District Plan can be viewed at www.fresh-ideas.co.nz or through www.rdc.govt.nz. Hard copies are available from the Civic Centre, the library and City Focus.
District Plan open days will be in Te Runanga Tearooms in the Government Gardens on May 9 and May 16 from 9am to 4pm.
 
PLAN CONTENTS
- Issues of importance to Maori
- Matters of national importance
- Residential
- City centre
- Commercial
- Industrial
- Innovation and enterprise
- Airport
- Rural
- Reserves and recreation
- Infrastructure
- Subdivision
- Natural hazards
- Financial contributions
- Hazardous substances
- Cultural heritage
- Natural heritage
- Designations
- Transport
- Approved development plans
- City centre design guide
PLANS COVER:
- What activities are allowed and where
- Natural hazards
- Subdivision of land
- Management of noise
- The placement and size of signs
- Protection of natural and cultural heritage sites
- How high you can build
- Where you can build