The proposed Selwyn District Plan was publicly notified on Monday October 5 and is open for consultation until 5pm on Friday, December 4.
Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton says the new plan will make huge strides in preparing the district for the future.
"This is an important move for Selwyn. The District Plan matters, because it impacts all our lives and how we live, work and play in the district. Most of the current plan has been in operation since 2008. Since then Selwyn has been the fastest-growing district in the country. We’ve seen massive changes and we need a new plan that is not only up to date with the new world we live in, but ready to take us through the next decade."
The District Plan - which sets the rules for what people can do on their properties and what requires resource consent - must be reviewed every 10 years.
The new plan aims to simplify and make it easier for residents to find out the rules. It also changes the focus from the effects of landowners’ actions on others, to what type of activities people can undertake.
Proposed changes include new provisions for housing density and development, and for businesses in residential and rural areas. The plan also includes proposed new sky glow and noise rules, and new modelling showing the flood risk to properties in a one-in-200-year flood event.
The Proposed Plan seeks to focus residential development within and around our existing townships and allowing more housing types in urban areas. It also removes the requirement that only family members can live in a family flat, now called a minor residential unit.
It proposes reducing the density of houses allowed in part of the Outer Plains, to ensure land is retained for rural production, and tightens the rules around businesses in residential and rural areas, to encourage businesses to set up in commercial and business zones.
Daytime noise rules would run from 7am to 10pm and the proposals introduce sky glow rules to reduce light pollution, in particular creating dark-sky zones in areas of the high country, along the coast and around the West Melton Observatory.
For more information people can read the summary consultation document Because it matters at Council libraries and service centres, or online at www.selwyn.govt.nz/districtplanreview.
They can also find out how proposed rules may apply to their property by going to the Proposed ePlan at www.selwyn.govt.nz/proposedeplan, where they can type in their address and learn about what the plan means for them. People can also speak directly to planning staff, who will be holding sessions around the district in coming weeks to answer questions.
"It’s a complex document so if people want to find out more about how it might impact them, I’d encourage them to come to one of our ‘Talk to a planner’ drop-in sessions," Mayor Broughton says.
Most of the rules in the Proposed District Plan will not come into effect until after the Council has released decisions on submissions. It’s expected that the new District Plan will be in full effect by the end of 2022. Until then, current rules in the Operative District Plan also apply.
