Make your view count

Christchurch residents will be able to object to new quarrying activity within 500 metres of a residential zone under a new proposal in stage two of the Council's district plan review. Applications to quarry within one metre of groundwater will also have to be notified.

A few of the other changes proposed in this stage of the review include:

· Two large rural land blocks will be rezoned for industrial use (on Springs Road and Wairakei Road).

· A smaller New Brighton Commercial Zone, with reduced height limits, and reduced height limits for some residential land adjoining the New Brighton Commercial Zone.

· A new approach for character areas (previously known as special amenity areas or SAMs) with areas now grouped into two categories. Category 1 areas have a higher level of character and if changes are proposed to a building or front yard (visible from the street) there are new rules to ensure character values are maintained. In Category 2 areas the new rules mainly relate to landscape character e.g. the view from the street.

· More land available for housing, social, cultural and economic activities by Ngai Tahu Manawhenua (those with customary authority over the land).

The demands of the earthquake recovery and the need to rebuild and equip Christchurch district for future growth makes the review of the district plan a priority. The result will also be the first district plan covering both Christchurch City and Banks Peninsula and will be in an electronic format.

The effect of the plan on individual properties can be viewed using the property search tool available at www.proposeddistrictplan.ccc.govt.nz . Anyone without internet access can view a hard copy of the proposals at any Council service centre or library. Queries about what the plan means for a property can be directed to the Council by phone, by email or at one of the drop-in sessions.

Drop-in sessions start next week and offer the opportunity for people to come and speak one-on-one with a planner about how their property, or their neighbourhood, is affected by the review. These sessions start at The Palms shopping centre on Thursday 14 May.

"We had a great response when our planners went out into the community with the stage one proposals and information and we look forward to having more people come along this time to discuss how the plan will impact their property or their neighbourhood," says Chief Planning Officer Mike Theelen. "They can also find out how to make an online submission."

More information about the proposed changes is available in a newsletter being delivered to all Christchurch households and post office boxes (as well as to all out of town property owners). The newsletter also has details of the drop-in sessions and where to direct queries. The Council is also writing to owners and occupiers of directly affected properties so they know if they are affected, how they can find out more and how they can make a submission objecting to or supporting proposals.

"We want people to find out what's proposed and to make a submission saying what they like or don’t like about that; rather than have them find out later they can't do something they want on their property or that they don’t like something that someone else is doing. By then it is too late," says Mike Theelen.

Submissions on the stage two proposals are now open and close on 15 June. Submissions can be made online or using a hard copy of the submission form (in the household newsletter or at Council service centres and libraries). Further submissions are open from 29 June to 13 July.

Submissions will be published on 27 July, then the process shifts to the government appointed Independent Hearings Panel, which hears submissions and makes final decisions on the Council's proposals. The new district plan will be completed by April 2016.

The third and final stage of the review will be notified and opened for public submissions on 27 June. This includes provisions for natural and cultural heritage (including notable trees, heritage sites etc), the Central City, the coastal environment, remaining natural hazards provisions. It also includes provisions relating to the Cranford Basin and to specific purpose zone - flat land recovery (the holding zone for residential red zone while the Government determines the future use of this land).

"There will be some big challenges in stage three for us all in terms of how we deal with coastal hazards; we need to consider all options for reducing the risk to people, property and infrastructure from coastal hazards now and into the future," says Mike Theelen.

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