AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASE

18 December 2006

City’s district plan up for review

Auckland City is taking the first steps to begin a major review of the rules and regulations governing land use and development in the Auckland isthmus.

A five-year programme to review the isthmus section of the city’s district plan is being launched with the appointment of a working party of elected representatives.

The working party will serve as a sounding board for major issues to be considered in the review as well as being involved in consultation, plan development and hearings.

The council is required by law to review its district plan every 10 years and Auckland City is one of the first councils in New Zealand to begin the process of review.

The chairperson of the Planning and Regulatory Committee, Councillor Glenda Fryer, says the review is a significant piece of work.

“The review of the isthmus section of the district plan could have implications for hundreds of thousands of residents and ratepayers because it is all about the rules which govern what we can and cannot do with our properties.

“We are in the very early stages of reviewing the isthmus district plan and we’re involved in research and scoping out potential issues. Next year we’ll move to a full consultation programme with the public and I’d encourage people to become involved in that,” Ms Fryer says.

Since the isthmus district plan was first developed in 1993 and made operative in 1999, there have been a number of changes which need to be taken into account in the review. These include:

- amendments to the Resource Management Act

- the new Local Government Act 2004

- greater emphasis on urban design, sustainability, biodiversity, and heritage

- growth management strategy

- new technologies.

The working party appointed by the Planning and Regulatory Committee to be involved in the district plan review includes Councillor Glenda Fryer, Councillor Christine Caughey, Councillor Penny Sefuiva, Councillor Leila Boyle, Councillor Graeme Mulholland, and Councillor Toni Millar.

ENDS

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