The three Wairarapa District Councils are inviting further submissions on Wairarapa’s Proposed District Plan.
This announcement coincides with the release of the Summary of Decisions Requested on the Proposed District Plan by the three Wairarapa District Councils.
Further submissions are being invited until 5.00pm on 23 April 2024. Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), Councils are required to publicly notify the Summary of Decisions Requested along with the submissions themselves and invite further submissions. Only certain parties are eligible to make further submissions. A further submission can only express support or opposition to a matter raised in an original submission. It must not raise new points.
For those who wish to make a further submission, a copy of their further submission must be served on any submitter their further submission relates to within 5 working days after it is served on a District Council. The committee received 241 original submissions were received on the Proposed District Plan in total.
‘It’s pleasing to see such a good level of engagement in this review,’ said Independent Chair of the Joint Committee, David McMahon.
Given the number of submissions received, as well as the detailed nature of some submissions, the Joint Committee has resolved to extend the further submission period for the Proposed District Plan from the RMA-prescribed minimum of 10 working days to 20 working days. This longer further submission period will ensure that further submitters have additional time to read the submissions received and determine if they will make a further submission, and if so, the content of the further submission.
The Summary of Decisions Requested has been ordered by submitter name. A second version of the Summary of Decisions Requested, ordered by Proposed District Plan chapter, has also been released. This enables people to easily find all submission points made by specific submitters as well as submissions made on the same provisions.
The summary documents and submissions themselves are available on the District Plan Review website, www.wairarapaplan.nz, and a hard copy of the summary is available for viewing at the three Wairarapa District Council offices and libraries.
Following the close of further submissions, hearings will be set and notified to all submitters and further submitters who wish to be heard. These decisions may be appealed to the Environment Court.
www.wairarapaplan.nz will continue to provide updates on the review process.