Napier’s District Plan is the city’s rule book. It lays out the rules for Napier’s long-term development and considers impacts on the environment. The District Plan gives guidance to property developers to make sure land and the surrounding environment is protected and managed sustainably.
I want to give you an update on our Proposed District Plan and where we are in that process. As you’ll know we are currently consulting on our Three-Year Plan. At the same time, we are developing our Proposed District Plan, and it too needs the vital ingredient of community voice.
Following consultation in 2023 on the Plan, we are now at the next phase of the review: ‘Notification of Summary of Decisions Requested and Further Submissions’. This is a requirement in the Resource Management Act (RMA) where a person can comment on submissions made by others, when that submission specifically impacts them or a group they are part of.
We have received 289 submissions to our Proposed District Plan. The topics that attracted the most interest were medium- and high-density residential zones, subdivision rules, and rules around noise. If any of these 289 submissions specifically affect you, or a group you represent, then you can tell us whether or not you agree with that submission through this current part of the process. A ‘further submission’ can only agree or disagree, it’s not an opportunity to provide new additional thoughts or material on the Plan.
Not everyone can make a further submission. If a proposal has a greater impact on you than others in the community you can make a further submission about it, even if you didn’t make an original submission.
For example, if people are talking about changing rules for building houses in the countryside, but you don’t live in the countryside, you might not be able to make a further submission. However, if someone wants to change the rules right next to where you live, it impacts you more than most people, so you can make a further submission.
You must make your submission within 10 working days after we tell everyone what decisions people have asked for in their submissions. How we do this is through the Summary of Decisions Requested. We put this online and, in hard copy, at the libraries in Napier and Taradale and at the Customer Service Centre in Napier CBD. The Summary will be available from Monday 22 April. People will then have two weeks to read it and make a further submission on any issue that particularly affects them. The last day for making a further submission is Tuesday 7 May.
Following the close of further submissions, council officers will prepare a report on the proposal and set a date for Hearings. If you have made a submission, or a ‘further submission’, you will be asked if you want to speak to the Council about it. This is an excellent opportunity for you to share your views and feedback with us about the Proposed District Plan and how it affects you. I encourage you to get involved in whichever way suits you best. Your voice is an essential part of our planning for Napier’s future.
If you would like to make a further submission, it must be lodged using the form (Form 6) in the Resource Management Act (RMA). You can find this online or download it from the Napier City Council website at sayitnapier.nz. If you don’t have access to a computer, please visit the Napier or Taradale Library or Napier City Council Customer Service Centre on Hastings Street, Napier.