In response to an outcry from residents, architects and the building industry, consultant David Whitney has suggested the council remove any reference in its amended district plan to Oamaru stone as an unsuitable building finish. However, light-coloured homes in a rural setting are still frowned upon.
On Monday, the council's hearing panel will begin up to eight weeks of hearings on submissions to the 23 district plan changes.
The changes are aimed at addressing rural development issues and they cover where rural homes can be built, what exterior colours are suitable and what materials are preferred.
The council had earlier deemed Oamaru stone to be reflective and noticeable in a rural setting. The controversial plan change was announced last August.
Sixty-five of the 218 submissions received on the changes were about Oamaru stone. More submissions were received when the council sought further comment later in the year.
The first round of submissions being heard next week include those on building finishes.
In his report to the panel, Mr Whitney said the rural part of the district included a range of topography from valley floors to elevated areas.
"In some situations, light-coloured buildings, particularly those finished in whites or creams, have been found to create significant adverse effects, particularly when located on elevated sites and in rocky schist landscapes," he said.
Many submitters had opposed the specific exclusion of Oamaru stone, saying it was a natural material, a sustainable resource, and the landscape contained cream-coloured clay banks and light-coloured grass hillsides.
Mr Whitney said the stone had advantages as a building material, but due to the contrast with dark schist backgrounds, an Oamaru stone finish might not be appropriate in some sensitive settings.
However, a new rule under another section of the changes said the building colour scheme for new rural homes "should in general be darker than the background in which it is set".
That already provided the council with an adequate mechanism to consider the exterior colour of buildings, so an Oamaru stone finish could be carefully assessed if it was in a particularly sensitive landscape.
"In these circumstances, we do not consider that the exclusion of Oamaru stone throughout the rural resource area [as provided for in Plan Change 5N] is necessary or appropriate," Mr Whitney said.
