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District Plan

Purpose of the District Plan

The Hurunui District Plan is a legal document which affects the day-to-day lives of everbody in the Hurunui District.  The Plan is a requirement of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).  The purpose of the RMA is the sustainable management of natural and physical resources while avoiding, remedying or mitigating adverse environmental effects and providing for the well being of communities.  The Plan's framework provides objectives, policies and methods to manage the use and development of natural and physical resources to meet the purpose of the RMA.

The current Hurunui District Plan was made operative on 7th August 2003 but it has not been frozen in time.  The Council has processed nearly 30 changes to parts of the Plan since it became operative.  The Council is also required to review the Plan every 10 years.

District Plan Review  

A District Plan Review is similar to a Plan Change, except that all provisions of the District Plan need to be comprehensively reviewed by the Council every 10 years.  The Council has initiated the review.

Recent District Plan Changes 

The District Plan was last amended 13 July 2011.  

Plan Change 15 (Buxton Valley Management Area) was publicly notified on 26 July 2008 and the change became operative on 20 September 2010. 
Plan Change 16 (Woodbank (River Edge) Zone) was publicly notified on 15 November 2008.  The appeal to this plan change has been settled by Environment Court Consent Order and the change became operative on 15 June 2010. 
Plan Change 18 (Frost Control Fans) was publicly notified on 6 December 2008 and the change became operative on 13 July 2011. 
Plan Change 21 (Waipara Oaks) is a private plan change request to rezone approximately 13.0366ha of General Management land at 274 Glenmark Drive, Waipara (approximately 800m north of the existing Waipara Township), to Residential zoning, creating the potential for an estimated 125-150 residential allotments.  Further submissions closed on 26 May 2010.  The hearing is likely to be delayed for some time due to the Christchurch earthquake. 
Plan Change 22 (Financial Contributions) was publicly notified on 14 April 2010.  The change became operative on 15 December 2010.
Plan Change 23 (Urban Subdivision and Independent Senior Living Units) was publicly notified on 26 June 2010.  The provisions relate to Independent Senior Living Units became operative on 24 August 2011, and the provisions that relate to Urban Subdivision became operative on 16 December 2011, making this change fully operative.  
Plan Change 24 (St James Estate) rezoned approximately 25.4ha of General Management land (on Hanmer Springs Road (SH7A), bordered by Argelins Road to the west). This provides for a mix of residential zoning ranging from 350m2 – 1000m2, and includes open space areas, with future development guided by an ‘Outline Development Plan’.  The change became operative on 11 May 2011.
Plan Change 25 (Amberley Business and Industrial Zones) introduces a new Business 1 (town centre) zone at Amberley with associated policies and rules and rezones land at Grays Road to Industrial Zone.  The change became operative on 15 December 2010.
Plan Change 26 (Conway Hills Station Significant Natural Areas Review) redefines SNAs 46 (Okarahia Stream bush), 47 (Peaked Hill bush), and 48 (Conway Hills bush) at Conway Hills Station, Cheviot.  The change became operative on 10 June 2011.
Plan Change 27 (Minor Dwelling Units) introduces specific provisions for minor dwelling units (MDUs) allowing for their establishment as a permitted activity, subject to meeting requirements relating to siting, size, and relationship to the main dwelling on a site.  The change became operative on 7 September 2011.
Plan Change 28 (Hanmer Springs Multiple Unit Dwellings): introduces new provisions for multiple unit dwellings within the Business Zone at Hanmer Springs as a Discretionary Activity, subject to standards and terms; extends the Business Zone Boundary to incorporate land with existing business activities; and increases the maximum building height to 10 metres across the Business Zone at Hanmer Springs, but retains the 7.5 metre height limit for sites that share a boundary with a site zoned residential or open space.  The change became operative on 10 May 2012.
Plan Change 29 (Mendip Hills Significant Natural Area Review) redefines Significant Natural Area 51 (Black hills) at Mendip Hills, Parnassus and is effective immediately under s86B(3)(b) of the Resource Management Act 1991.  The plan change became operative 8 March 2012.
Plan Change 30 (Rezoning of Queen Mary Hospital Heritage Reserve) rezones the Queen Mary Hospital Historic Reserve from ‘Business’ to ‘Queen Mary Hospital Heritage zone’.  This is a new zone in the District Plan, which recognises the site’s unique qualities and need for a specific planning framework.  The plan change proposes a new policy, and performance standards to enable the use of the site for a wide range of business or community purposes, without compromising its heritage and open space values.  In particular, the plan change recognises that the heritage values of the site are likely to be maintained, and even further enhanced, if the buildings are able to be adaptively re-used.  Further submissions close 1 June 2012.
Plan Change 31 (Hanmer Springs Carparking) introduces on-site car parking standards specific to Hanmer Springs. It does so by inserting new requirements in the Hanmer Springs urban area for some types of activities. The plan change also provides for the district-wide car parking requirements to be updated to reflect current New Zealand Standards and the New Zealand Building Code.  The change became operative on 10 May 2012.
Plan Change 32 (Rural Subdivision and Hanmer Basin - Woodbank Road) introduces changes to the subdivision standards for the General Management Area. These include lowering the minimum subdivision allotment area from 5ha to 4ha and allowing a sub-4ha lot to be subdivided as a one-off option, provided the balance of the land needed to make up the 4ha average is maintained. This balance area of land would be contained in the balance lot and legally protected in order to maintain rural density.  The decision is open to appeal until 18 May 2012.

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Hurunui District Plan Framework 

The Hurunui District Plan is divided into three main parts:

Management Strategy

Issues, objectives, policies and methods

This part of the Plan identifies important issues within the Hurunui District based on broad concepts such as:

Under the broader heading, issues are identified and objectives established to address those issues.  Policies are developed for each objective and more specific methods for achieving those policies are set down.

The first section of the Plan establishes a hierarchy of management tools on which the remainder of the District Plan is based.

Management Code

Rules and assessment criteria

This section of the District Plan implements the objectives and policies set out in the Management Strategy. The Management Code is the rule section of the Plan and is divided into the following sections:

* The Assessment Criteria contained in the General Procedures assist planners in processing resource consents and should be considered when preparing consent applications. 

Planning Maps

The Planning Maps are contained in a separate volume to the text of the Plan.  The maps are divided into two sections for ease of use:

More Information

For more information about the District Plan or to establish what zone you are in and how rules may affect you, please contact Planning at the Amberley Office of the Hurunui District Council or email a Planning Officer.

The District Plan is available for purchase in hard copy and on CD.  For costings, please see our Fees and Charges schedule.
 

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