In a milestone for the management of natural and physical resources in Marlborough, Council has approved most of the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan (PMEP) at today’s Environment and Planning Committee meeting.

The proposed plan consolidates three management plans for the region into one comprehensive document, outlining what people can do on their land and how it may be developed. It also guides how individuals, businesses and the community can utilise public resources like freshwater and coastal areas.

At today’s meeting, committee members adopted the regional coastal plan provisions that weren’t subject to appeal and referred the provisions to the Minister of Conservation for approval. The committee also approved the remaining PMEP provisions that were not under appeal.

Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor said the plan will provide certainty and simplify the framework by replacing existing plans, including the Regional Policy Statement, the Wairau/Awatere Resource Management Plan, and the Marlborough Sounds Resource Management Plan.

“I’m pleased to announce we now have a single integrated plan for Marlborough. One that dramatically simplifies Marlborough’s resource management framework. It’s a culmination of a lot of hard work by Council and the community over an extended period. The numerous submissions and appeals have played a vital role in reaching this point, allowing us to move forward with implementing a plan which balances the sustainable utilisation of resources with the necessary environmental protections.”

The PMEP has undergone an extensive public process since it was publicly notified in June 2016. This included consideration of 1300 submissions and 17,500 submission points in support of or opposition to the plan’s provisions. The submissions were heard over a period of two years (2017-2019). Council publicly notified the decision on the PMEP on 22 February 2020. Some parts of the decision were then subject to appeal through the Environment Court, and Court mediation processes have been used to resolve most appeals over the last four years.

The minutes of the Committee meeting will be considered at the full Council meeting on 26 June and the PMEP provisions not subject to the Minister of Conservation’s approval will become operative on 9 July.

For more information, please go to: www.marlborough.govt.nz/your-council/resource-management-policy-and-plans/proposed-marlborough-environment-plan

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