Kāpiti Coast District Council is consulting on a package of draft District Plan changes to update some road classifications in Paraparaumu, better protect indigenous biodiversity, align local and national election signage rules, and correctly zone new open space areas.

District Planning Manager Jason Holland said councils periodically make these ‘omnibus’ plan changes to efficiently update the District Plan at one time for multiple, easily resolved issues.

Plan Change 1D updates the road classifications in the transport network hierarchy. This will enable council to improve road safety for new developments on Arawhata Road by ensuring that vehicles can turn on-site and exit nose first onto the street. It will also correct an error in the route classifications of Tutanekai Street and Ventnor Drive in Paraparaumu.

Plan Change 1F removes unintended consequences that have occurred under a rule in the District Plan that allows indigenous vegetation to be modified and removed in specific circumstances. The change ensures the rule properly protects significant indigenous vegetation as required under the Resource Management Act. This plan change also includes a change to a table of key indigenous trees to recognise the two separate kanuka species present in the district.

Plan Change 1K will bring the Council’s rules on election signage sizes into line with national regulations for election advertising.

Plan Change 1L updates the areas zoned Open Space in the District Plan to include areas obtained by the Council for local parks, natural environment, and recreation as part of new residential subdivisions. The plan change will also update the zonings of Maclean Park in Paraparaumu Beach and Jim Cooke Memorial Park in Waikanae from ‘Natural Open Space’ to ‘Open Space (Recreation Precinct)’ to better reflect the sports and recreation use of these parks.

The draft plan changes are on the Council website at kapiticoast.govt.nz/district-plan. Have your say online or email district.planning@kapiticoast.govt.nz by 5pm on Wednesday 11 May.

Council will consider the feedback on each of the draft plan changes before formally notifying and consulting on them as proposed plan changes in the middle of the year.

NB: These changes are separate to the draft Intensification plan change 2 consultation in response to central government direction, which is also currently underway.

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