Queenstown Lakes district councillors needed to exercise caution when approached by the public about private plan-change proposals because of conflicting interests, the council's strategy committee was told this week.
After presenting a report on the procedures used by council staff for private plan changes, general manager policy and planning Phillip Pannett called on QLDC legal counsel Graeme Todd to explain the ramifications of councillors' involvement or individual consultation on private plan-change proposals.
When asked by strategy committee chairwoman Gillian Macleod if it would compromise a councillor's ability to hear a private plan change as a commissioner when they had been privy to information at the beginning of the process, Mr Todd said it was important that any such information was put before all councillors at an early stage.
"Then you are all privy to that information,"he said.
Councillors also needed to consider if they had a personal interest in a private plan change.
"If approached, you need to make it clear that you may have a role in the process and instead you can use the council staff to undertake that consultation role,"Mr Todd explained.
"You have to be careful of the process and keep an open mind, not criticise. You need to be careful with the words you use or somebody might assume prejudice," he added.
However, Cr Lex Perkins said it was difficult to avoid making comments when, as a councillor, he needed to be out talking with people who inevitably raised issues such as ideas for private plan changes during conversation.
"When do you chat or not chat with them?" he asked.
Mr Pannett advised the best response was to direct any such inquiries to council officers who could organise a meeting with all parties, including councillors, so that everybody was privy to the same information.
The difficulty with private plan changes was recovering the sometimes considerable costs of time for council staff and councillors before an application was lodged or for one which might never come about.
