<>

June 20, 2008
MEDIA STATEMENT

Change to hearings timetable for statutory policy statement change connected with Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy

At this week’s Environment Canterbury meeting, councillors agreed to revise the timeframe for the hearing of submissions on Proposed Change No.1 to the Canterbury Regional Policy Statement (RPS).

The reason for the delay is to allow for an application for judicial review in the High Court by National Investment Trust on the composition of the ECan hearing panel, and to allow for a variation to the RPS to be notified. (See www.ecan.govt.nz/About+Us/DisplayMediaRelease.html?id=1085 < http://www.ecan.govt.nz/About+Us/DisplayMediaRelease.html?id=1085> for recent background on the hearing panel composition.)

The hearings scheduled for July 4 will now take place early next year.

The proposed variation will cover the following matters:

§       Proposed new urban limits for Rolleston (residential area)
§       Proposed new urban limits for Kaiapoi and Woodend
§       Incorporation of the revised air noise contours within Chapter 12A of the RPS
§       Proposed amendments to the urban limits within Christchurch City to delete Greenfield residential areas within the revised 50 decibel airport noise contour and to relocate such areas elsewhere within Christchurch City.

The proposed variation could be publicly notified at the end of August, with a summary of decisions requested available at the end of October to allow for any further submissions. This would enable the hearing of submissions on the variation to be heard concurrently with those already received on Proposed Change No.1 in February 2009.

Except for new dates the procedural arrangements for the hearings remain unaltered. This includes the composition of the hearing panel, the provision of evidence before the hearings begin, and the time limit for the presentation of submissions.

Submitters on Proposed Change No.1 will be sent a copy of the proposed variation.

ends

© Scoop Media