14 February 2014

Get in quick to have your say on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan

Aucklanders are being urged to get in their submissions on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan, and not leave it to the last minute.

Auckland Council has already received over 1200 submissions, and expects that number to swell in the coming days. Unitary Plan Committee chair Alf Filipaina says it is important people take the opportunity to have their say before the deadline - 5pm on 28 February.

“When we had engagement on the draft plan, the council was still taking in feedback two weeks after the closing date. That was okay, as it was all about informal discussion on a draft of the plan. This time is different because it’s a formal submission period.

“Among the many issues covered by the plan, it is also important for people to submit where there is specific heritage, environmental or cultural protection on their property, to say whether they support or oppose it. Many of these rules have already started to apply, so it’s important that people understand them and have their say,” says Councillor Filipaina.

The Independent Hearings Panel for the Auckland Unitary Plan is expected to give indications in April of the process for the hearings, once they have seen the number and scale of submissions received.

The council website – www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/unitaryplan – has a range of material Aucklanders can use to find out more:
• submission form
• guide on filling in a submission
• E-plan maps
• E-plan text
• Overview of the plan (translated versions: Maori, Samoan, Tongan, Chinese, Korean)
• Shaping a business-friendly city
• key topics in detail
• rules that apply now
• local area factsheets

ENDS

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