New Thames-Coromandel District Plan revealed

After two years of consultation, over 1,400 submitters, and 34 days of hearings, the new Thames-Coromandel District Plan will update the 15-year-old previous version.

Issues dealt with in the new version include how the Coromandel deals with mining, which areas of the District should be rezoned, defined outstanding natural features and landscapes and coastal erosion lines, as well as the way land will be managed, used and sub-divided.

“We’ve worked hard to balance Council’s approach to reduce red tape in many areas to make it easier for people to develop their lives and businesses, and grow the Coromandel’s economy, while still protecting the areas with special values,” says the District Plan Hearings Panel.

The District Plan Hearings Panel was made up of two independent commissioners (Mark Farnsworth and Ian Munro) and one elected member (Councillor Tony Fox). In making decisions, the Hearings Panel took into account all the submissions, which came a variety of stakeholders including property owners through to central government organisations, iwi, ratepayer groups. The Panel then listened to staff recommendations and received sign-off from Council.

Another issue addressed by the Hearing Panel was whether or not resource consent should be needed for people who commercially hire out their holiday homes, short-term, to more than six people. This drew a lot of attention during the submission process.

"Many bach and holiday home owners were concerned about needing resource consents when they commercialised their holiday homes and advertised them as commercial accommodation," says the Panel. "On the other hand, more formal accommodation providers, such as motels and backpackers, said they wanted a level playing field with other commercial accommodation providers such as holiday home rentals, bed and breakfast, and small lodges. However, the District Plan Hearings Panel heard no compelling evidence from either side to change this standard for visitor accommodation in the Plan. So we’re sticking with what was in the previous District Plan, which allows for a maximum of six paying guests per property with parking and noise standards to be met."

Council adopted the District Plan Hearings Panel's recommendations and has appointed a District Plan Appeals Committee to provide guidance and direction over any appeals to the Decisions Version of the new District Plan.

Anyone who made a submission to the Plan now has 30 working days from 29 April to appeal Council's decision to the Environment Court. People who have not been part of the process to date, as a submitter or further submitter, cannot appeal the decisions.

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