Restricting subdivision in some specific areas of Wanganui could be seen as an impediment to growth, according to one Wanganui District councillor.
Councillors have been working through changes to the District Plan and the next stage looks specifically at development in some rural zones.
Plan Change 36 reviews the existing provisions in relation to the rural settlement zone and would see the creation of Rural Zone A.
This is intended to protect areas of high-quality soil (Class 1 and 2 soils) which may be bordering existing urban settlements.
Council officers said these areas could be subject to pressure from potential residential or rural lifestyle development. The land particularly affected by this change was in the Westmere area.
However, Councillor Rob Vinsen told this week's council meeting that there were serious implications in this projected change. "This community's greatest problem is growing its rating base," Mr Vinsen said.
"When I see a change like this you have to look to see if it's a good thing. But a change like this has major implications in terms of growth and I only hope that people will make submissions about it," he said.
The change is included as part of the council's review of its District Plan to meet the legislative requirements of the Resource Management Act.
The council is also considering some new areas bordering the city boundary to become part of the Rural B Zone and they include parts of Mosston Rd, Durie Hill and Aramoho.
This zone sets particular limits on the minimum size of subdivisions.
The other major change (Plan Change 37) would enable papakainga-type development. Papakainga means development established on ancestral land by an iwi, hapu or whanau in the Wanganui district which promotes tangata whenua community development,
A series of public meetings surrounding these zone changes, involving stakeholders and iwi, has been held.
These changes will be publicly notified next month.