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Periodically I get the opportunity to write an opinion piece in the Hutt News, Here is the story published in todays issue relating to the upcoming District Plan review.
As the newly appointed chair of our District Plan Committee, I thought I’d take the opportunity to bring you up to speed on our district plan’s much-needed makeover and explain how you can play a part in shaping its future.
So, what’s a district plan, and why should you care? Think of it as the master recipe that guides the growth and development of our beloved Hutt City. From land use to subdivisions, this plan has got it all covered. Our trusty old plan has stood the test of time, but now it’s ready to hand over the baton to its spruced-up successor. With the proposed changes to the RMA involving the absorption of district plans into larger regional plans, it’s likely this may be our city’s last district plan.
As we whip up this new recipe, some ingredients are entirely up to us, while others come with specific instructions, courtesy of legal requirements like National Policy Statements and the Resource Management Act (RMA). This mix ensures that our plan strikes a balance between our unique local flavour and essential nationwide priorities like housing density, freshwater management and heritage protection.
Back in 2019, we decided it was high time to give our district plan a full-blown overhaul, as parts of the plan hadn’t been touched for quite some time. But the government had other ideas, urging us to speed through a streamlined plan change process for medium and high-density housing. This put our full review on hold, as Plan Change 56 was drafted to respond to the housing conundrum and solutions imposed by the National Policy Statement of Urban Development and an amendment to the Resource Management Act.
This fast-tracked process is unfolding as we speak, with hearing dates set for this month, and parts of the plan already in action. The clock is ticking, and we have until August to put the finishing touches on Plan Change 56 to meet the government’s required timeline. You can find more information on Plan Change 56 at hutt.city/pc56
When it comes to the full district plan review, we can take a more considered approach through multiple rounds of consultation. We’ll kick off with informal conversation when we unveil the draft plan, followed by a more buttoned-up process when the proposed plan steps into the limelight next year.
In the coming months, we’ll be putting the final touches on our draft plan before releasing it into the wild for your feedback. This is your golden opportunity to make your voice heard, without the legal red tape of the RMA consultation process. We’re all ears, so let’s work together to create a district plan that truly embodies the spirit of Hutt City.
Once we’ve soaked up your invaluable insights, the next iteration of the plan will make its grand debut in 2024. It’s all about keeping our district plan fresh, relevant, and perfectly tailored to our ever-evolving community. One element of this will be how we display, share, and use the district plan. We’ll be following other councils around the country with a digital ePlan that is much easier to navigate and find site-specific details without being overwhelmed by irrelevant information.