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Founder – David Thornton David@nomorerates.com

MEDIA RELEASE

27th May 2013

[statement from David Thornton]

Council is acting unlawfully and should withdraw the draft Unitary Plan.

Council has failed to meet consultation requirements of Local Government Act [Section 82} and Clause 3, Schedule 1 of the Resource Management Act.

By law the Council is required to consider alternative proposals when it notifies a proposed Unitary Plan under the Resource Management Act, and it is required to show the costs and benefits of the alternatives compared to its preferred Plan.

This consideration must be carried on during preparation of the draft plan and when consulting with relevant parties.

The Council is also required, under the Local Government Act, to seek alternative options, and their costs and benefits, before making any significant decisions.

What the Mayor calls ‘engagement’ is in fact a form of consultation and under the legislation Council is required to answer all submissions.

At most public meetings on the Unitary Plan there have been calls for details of the infrastructure that will be needed to support the wholesale rezoning the council is proposing to introduce.

Council needs to show costs of infrastructure for building up against cost of building out.

The claims by the Mayor, and by the council’s Director of Planning, that it is more expensive to provide infrastructure for building out than it is for building up, have not been supported by any evidence.

The council has not even considered building out as a genuine alternative to building up, despite such consideration being a legislative requirement in both the Resource Management Act and the Local Government Act.

David Thornton

ENDS

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