Proposed District Plan - FAQs

Variation 1 is a Council initiated process to change parts of the Proposed District Plan (PDP), originally notified in August 2020. The changes introduced under Variation 1 are identified in the PDP both in the text and in the planning maps.

New submissions can be made on these changes by any party. These new submissions will be heard as part of the PDP hearings programme.

See also FAQ ‘What if I have already made a submission on the PDP?’.

Plan Change 19 is a proposed change to the Operative District Plan for the Plimmerton Farm Zone. The proposed District Plan does not apply to the Plimmerton Farm site which was rezoned for development through a separate process.

The changes proposed to the Operative District Plan under Plan Change 19 are identified in both the text and in the planning maps: Plan Change 19 - Plimmerton Farm Intensification

Variation 1 and Plan Change 19 are focused on urban intensification. As part of this, Variation 1 also proposes a new Medium Density Residential Zone and Neighbourhood Centre Zone and Structure Plan in part of the Northern Growth Area and introduces new flood hazard maps for parts of the urban areas of the City.

Variation 1 and Plan Change 19 have been prepared to meet Council’s obligations to enable urban intensification under the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act. The Government has directed all councils to change their district plans to enable 3-storey (medium density) houses in all residential areas, and to identify parts of the city where even taller (high density) buildings can be built.

You can find more information on the background to Variation 1 and Plan Change 19.

Notification of Variation 1 and Plan Change 19 gives you the opportunity to have your say and potentially influence how the new District Plan might manage urban intensification in the future.

If you have made a submission on the PDP, the hearing has already been held on your submission, and the Variation does not change what you made your submission on, then the Variation will not impact on you.

For instance, you may have made a submission on the Rural Lifestyle Zone. As hearings have already been heard on the Rural Zone chapters and Variation 1 does not change any aspect of these chapters, you and your submission are not impacted in any way.

However, under Clause 16B to Schedule 1 of the RMA, if you made a submission on the PDP and that part of the PDP is affected by Variation 1, then that submission will be ‘deemed’ to be on the Variation. It will also be considered in the current process when submissions on the PDP and Variation 1 are heard. You have the opportunity now to make a submission on what is included in Variation 1, whether or not you submitted on the PDP when it was notified. Any submissions on Variation 1 will also be considered in the current process when submissions on the PDP and Variation 1 are heard.

Yes. All tier 1 territorial authorities who are specifically listed in section 2 of the RMA are required to notify changes to their plans to give effect to the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act. Some of the territorial authorities have different timeframes in which to notify changes to their plans. In the case of Porirua City, it had until 20 August 2022.

In the Wellington Region, Porirua City, Kāpiti Coast District, Wellington City, Hutt City and Upper Hutt City Councils are all required to change their plans.

Once the period for making submissions has closed, the Council will prepare a summary of decisions requested. There will then be an opportunity for people to make further submissions on those original submissions.

Submitters will be able to speak to their submission at a hearing convened by an Independent Hearings Panel who will need to make the final decisions by August 2023. The hearings will likely be held in early 2023. That hearing will consider submissions on the PDP that have not been heard to date and submissions on Variation 1 and Plan Change 19.

District Plans require a large amount of evidence and technical information to support their direction and provisions. Technical information supporting Variation 1 and Plan Change 19 can be found on our Key topics and supporting information webpage.

The Proposed District Plan and the Plimmerton Farm Zone both use ‘overlays’ to identify areas at risk from natural hazards. In these overlays special rules apply depending on the sensitivity of an activity to natural hazard risk. For example, residential activity, schools, and hospitals are considered to be hazard-sensitive activities and are subject to special rules regardless of zoning. These overlays and special rules continue to apply with Variation 1 and Plan Change 19.

You can print chapters in the eplan by using the download function at the top left-hand corner of each chapter. If you have any issues downloading these chapters feel free to get in touch via email [email protected].

Plan Change 19 can be downloaded and printed here: background to Variation 1 and Plan Change 19.

Please note that under section 2AC of the Resource Management Act 1991 the Council is not required to make available full printed copies of Variation 1 and Plan Change 19. Section 2AC(5) does however make provision for inspecting the documents on request, and for a physical copy to be purchased on request.

If you have any difficulty or concerns about accessing and /or printing the document, please get in touch via [email protected].

You can also enquire about purchasing a copy.

The District Plan shapes our future both as a community and individually. It regulates what we can and can’t do on our properties and also influences how our district will look in coming years – for instance, where to expect more housing, business and industrial development and how we’ll protect and manage special places like our coastline and heritage items. It ensures well planned and organised growth and gives the community, business and property owners a greater level of certainty about what they can do, and where.

Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) every local authority in New Zealand must have a District Plan.

There are a variety of ways the District Plan affects you. If you own land, the District Plan controls what type of activities you can do on that land. For example, what you can build and how high, and certain aspects of design. It also controls things like whether you can subdivide land and how much noise you can make. District Plan zoning determines what can happen next door and in your neighbourhood.

Release of the Proposed District Plan gives you the opportunity to have your say and potentially influence how the new District Plan might manage these things in the future.

The Operative District Plan was made operative in 1999. Our City has changed a lot since then and our current plan is out of date. We are also required by law to review our District Plan every ten years.

The Government has also amended legislation and introduced many new national policies and regulations in recent years that we must give effect to through our District Plan.

Look at the Proposed District Plan maps. You can find these on our ePlan.

Rules relating to subdivision and minimum allotment size are found in the subdivision chapter. This is located in Part 2: District Wide Matters. SUB-S1 has a list of minimum lot sizes depending on what zone you are in.

It is important to note that all subdivision requires resource consent. However, there is a spectrum of consents ranging from controlled to non-complying. Broadly speaking, controlled is the most straight forward resource consent to apply for as these must be granted by Council, whereas non-complying is where subdivision is generally being avoided, and consents are only granted in exceptional circumstances.

If you want to create lots smaller than this minimum, see the relevant rule in the subdivision chapter for what type of consent is required. You should also check if your property has any other planning considerations such as landscapes, significant natural areas or natural hazards as this may change what type of consent is required.

For instance:

• Creating lots 2ha in size in the Rural Lifestyle Zone is generally a controlled activity
• Creating lots 2ha in size in the Rural Lifestyle Zone within a Special Amenity Landscape would be a discretionary activity
• Creating lots 2ha in size in the Rural Lifestyle Zone where a building platform is to be built in a stream corridor would be a non-complying activity.

District Plans require a large amount of evidence and technical information to support their direction and provisions. This information can be found on our supporting information webpage.

You can print the Proposed District Plan by using the print function at the top left hand corner of each chapter e.g.: Subdivision Chapter

You will have the option to either print specific chapters or the full Plan. If you have any issues printing feel free to get in touch via email -  [email protected]

This is a report that evaluates the costs and benefits of the proposed District Plan, as required by section 32 of the RMA. A separate evaluation report has been written for each topic. The reports help plan readers understand why a particular approach was taken to a topic. It is also a record of the decision-making process, and shows how the approach to a topic has been developed.

A recent Government commissioned report recommended that the Resource Management Act be repealed and replaced, which would mean plans prepared under it (including District Plans) would need to be replaced also. The Government has yet to advise on next steps, and the process of replacing the RMA is likely to take several years and with a long transition period to a new regime. The District Plan is therefore likely to be in place for several years to come. 

A District Plan is a planning framework that sets out the objectives, policies and rules for how land can be developed, used and managed and applies to all public and private property. It is prepared in accordance with the Resource Management Act, and is not a plan setting out what projects Council will be undertaking or what activities Council will be investing in. 

The Long Term Plan sets out the projects and activities Council will be undertaking and investing in based on priorities, and how we expect to fund these activities over the next 20-years. A Long Term Plan is a requirement under the Local Government Act and is updated every three years in consultation with the community and stakeholders. Councils are also required to produce Asset Management Plans (AMPs) and an Infrastructure Strategy which in turn inform the Long-term Plan.

Annual plans are produced every year between long-term plans. Annual plans give us the opportunity to refresh information and budgets for the coming year, and include the setting of rates.