Submissions can be made on how proposed plan changes may affect your property, outlining your support or opposition to it and the reasons why.
The council will later hold a hearing on the proposal and the submissions received. All submitters who wished to be heard will be advised of the hearing dates and venues. Anyone who makes a submission may appeal to the Environment Court on the council's decision.
Rural area (PC85): This plan change aims to introduce a new policy direction for the rural area with a new chapter in the district plan. Applying to all land outside urban Whangarei and Ruakaka, the policy will address zone boundary issues and any policy matters affecting all proposed rural zones.
Rural Production Environment (PC85A): This will replace the existing Coastal Countryside Environment and Countryside Environment provisions, which do not actively promote the protection of productive uses, resulting in fragmentation of the rural area by scattered subdivision. The main objective of PC85A is to sustain, protect and promote rural production.
Strategic Rural Industry Environment (PC85B): A plan change rezoning three areas in particular that have existing rural industry operating under the heavy industry zone (Business 4). The industries are the Fonterra dairy factory at Kauri, the Croft Timber Co Ltd site at Kauri and the Golden Bay cement works at Portland.
Rural Village Environment (PC85C): PC85C proposes to replace existing zonings in Whangarei's "rural villages", which currently do not recognise the different outcomes required to maintain the villages' sense of community.
The Whangarei District Growth Strategy- Sustainable Futures 30/50 identified three categories of rural villages - growth villages such as Hikurangi, Parua Bay and Waipu; large villages like Maungatapere, Tutukaka and Ngunguru; and small villages such as Bland Bay, Mangapai, Ocean Beach, Portland and Whananaki.
Rural Living Environment (PC85D): This environment is identified where there are existing clusters of rural lifestyle development with site sizes in the 1-4ha category. The existing Countryside Environment does not specifically provide for rural lifestyle development and does not have the flexibility in existing rules to allow for a living density suitable for lifestylers.
Rural (Urban Expansion) Environment (PC86A): PC86A covers areas on the fringe of Whangarei city that are no longer predominantly rural production land use. Covering a total of 807ha they are: Vinegar Hill Rd at Tikipunga, Three Mile Bush and Whau Valley roads at Kamo, Abbey Caves Rd at Onerahi, Toe Toe Rd at Otaika and Austin Rd at Maunu. The plan change is expected to provide a transition between urban and rural areas with a minimum lot size of 1ha.
Living Environment Zoning (PC86B): This plan change proposes to rezone to Living Environment 375ha of Countryside Environment at Maunu, Tikipunga and Kamo where residential capacity is needed, servicing is available and there are no major constraints such as flooding.
Coastal Area (PC87): This will provide a new resource overlay in the district plan containing rules for subdivision, land use resource consents and other provisions to protect the coastal environment, including parts of the coastal area which the Northland Regional Council has identified as High and Outstanding Natural Character Areas.
Landscapes (PC114): This plan change proposes to protect outstanding natural landscapes and features including mountains, hills, valleys, lakes, streams, wetlands native forests, sand dunes and beaches.
Minerals (PC102): PC102 proposes no major changes to the policy or provisions for mineral extraction now in the district plan. But it requires a cultural impact assessment for all resource consent applications for mineral extraction within sites of significance to Maori.
- Information on all the plan changes is on the council website wdc.govt.nz/planchanges
