Hill and High Country decision deferred

Environment Southland councillors met today and agreed to defer notifying the proposed Hill and High Country Development Plan Change. The move follows the decision last month to delay the plan change in order to clarify some of the provisions and to engage with landowners.

Last week two public meetings were held in Gore and Mossburn, attracting over 200 farmers. Environmental Management Committee chair Nicol Horrell chaired both meetings and said the meetings were incredibly valuable for Council to understand the concerns of those farmers affected by this change.

Questions raised during the meetings focused on the conditions of the proposed plan change, the consent process and how the changes would be implemented.

Staff will now review the plan change information and the approach to implementation and engagement as a result of the public meetings and other feedback that has been received.

The Hill and High Country Development Plan Change is part of the wider package of changes being worked on through the Water and Land 2020 & Beyond project. This project is Environment Southland’s approach to meeting the obligations set for regional councils under the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management.

ENDS

© Scoop Media