Friday 15 April 2011

ROTORUA 15.04.11: The rules for how land may be used or subdivided in the next 10-20 years have been drafted and are out for comment. The draft District Plan has been prepared by Rotorua District Council and is the next step in replacing the current plan that has been in operation since 1996.

Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters is excited this milestone has been reached.

“The current District Plan has been under review since late 2007. A lot of time has been spent talking with the community about the issues they think are important and how the district plan should respond. As well as the time spent speaking with the community, my fellow Councillors and I have participated in over 40 workshops to craft a policy direction to address the major issues.

“Some of the big issues include improving water quality, revitalising the city centre, the need for economic growth, maintaining urban and rural amenity and facilitating the development of Maori owned land. The community now has the opportunity to review the draft and tell us whether it’s heading in the right direction.”

Mayor Winters said releasing a draft provides the opportunity for people to influence the content of the next district plan before the process gets very formal.

“The legal process really gets underway when Council releases the ‘proposed’ version of the document later in the year. I urge people to take the time and have a look at the document. It impacts on what people can do on their land. A comment received now could be the difference between whether a future activity needs a resource consent or not.”

Mayor Winters also said he appreciated that making comment on the draft could be time consuming.

“It’s quite a big document but fact sheets and smaller reports that target the major changes have also been produced and will be available on the web. All the research that Council has commissioned for the draft will also be available. “

RDC Chief executive, Peter Guerin, said the Rotorua community has made a major investment in the preparation of the document and it is now time to see a return.

“Over the last couple of years Council has made a concerted effort to change the way it does business, to grow the economy and provide a clear vision for the future. The release of the draft District Plan is another important step in this process”.

The draft district plan is available for comment from Saturday 16 April 2011 until 27 May 2011. Along with research reports and fact sheets the draft district plan can be found on the ‘Fresh Ideas’ website www.fresh-ideas.co.nz and council website www.rdc.govt.nz . Hard copies will be available from next week at the Civic Centre, the Rotorua District Library, and City Focus

The feedback received will be collated and presented to elected members for their review.

The first open days for the draft District Plan will be held at Te Runanga Tearooms in Government Gardens on 9 May and 16 May, from 9am to 4pm. Other public meetings will be advertised.

ENDS

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