23-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Extension on district plan delivery sought
The Gore District Council wishes to extend the time it has to deliver its annual plan but it is well past the period when it would be forced to stop the whole process by a new government policy.
The council is seeking to shift the deadline on delivering the plan to late-January next year from the planned August 29 this year.
It is seeking an extension request from Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds.
Plans changes came under the spotlight on Wednesday when Minister Responsible for Resource Management Act (RMA) Reform Chris Bishop said a halt would be made for councils reviewing plans.
He said councils were spending too much time on plan processes which would be "largely wasted" under new government RMA reforms.
Council operations general manager David Bainbridge-Zafar said the council was in a good position.
"The government intends the 'plan stop policy' will be enacted by the end of August.
"Once enacted, councils will be required to stop progressing plan changes and plan reviews that are not yet at the hearings stage," he said.
"Gore District Council is in a good position in that our proposed district plan is already well past that stage — our last hearing was in April.
"Therefore, the minister's comments do not affect our work programme and we still intend to notify decisions on the proposed district plan by January, on the presumption that Ms Simmonds grants our recent extension request."
The proposed plan, publicly notified on August 31, 2023, represents the first full-scale review of the district's planning rules since the current operative district plan came into effect in 2006.
District plans act as blueprints for how land use, development and environmental protection will be managed in the years ahead.
Mr Bainbridge-Zafar said the council needed more time due to a combination of factors that had slowed the decision-making process.
There were more than 130 submissions and nearly 7000 individual submission points, more time was needed to deliver decisions which were "well-considered and legally sound", he said.
Hearings for the proposed plan only began after a nearly four-month delay caused by submission period extensions and issues summarising submissions.
Mr Bainbridge-Zafar said the extra time was essential to complete a thorough and fair review.
Another key benefit of the extension is the opportunity to publish the new plan in an "ePlan" format, which will enhance accessibility and usability for residents, developers and planners alike. — APL
