District-wide matter: Noise and vibration

District Plan Review consultation now closed.

Initial public consultation on key draft changes to the current Selwyn District Plan closed on Monday 8 October 2018. Thank you to everyone who let us know what they thought of the review so far.

What’s next?

Following this initial public consultation on the District Plan Review, the Council will consider all feedback and start developing detailed provisions for the Proposed District Plan. Please note that a summary report on the initial public consultation will be made available on Your Say Selwyn website at www.selwyn.govt.nz/districtplanreview.

It’s expected the Proposed District Plan will be notified in early 2020 for formal public consultation. The longer timeframe is due to the local government elections at the end of 2019 and ensuring the newly elected Council endorses the Proposed District Plan before it gets notified.

We want to know what you think about the draft changes to noise and vibration related rules and policies in the current District Plan. These draft changes have been endorsed by the Selwyn District Council for further development as part of its District Plan Review.

How can I have a say?

To give us your feedback on the draft changes , you can:

• participate in our survey or ask us a question
• contact us directly via email districtplanreview@selwyn.govt.nz or call (03) 347 1856 .

There will be many consultation opportunities for feedback at different stages of the District Plan Review and this is the first such opportunity. It’s expected that the new District Plan will be notified in early 2020 and be fully in place, subject to any Environment Court appeals, in March 2022.

Background

Noise in the current District Plan

The current District Plan controls noise by specified noise limits in each zone ie residential, business and rural. Different noise limits also apply during day time and night time (less noise is allowed during night time hours). Currently the period when the day time noise limits apply across the whole district is from 7.30am to 8pm and the night time period is from 8pm to 7.30am. If an activity complies with the limits within the specified timeframes, it is permitted, ie no resource consent is required.

A number of activities also have specific noise limits rather than having to comply with the zone noise limits. These activities include: temporary military training, aircraft movements, audible bird scaring devices, blasting and powered watercraft.

A number of activities are currently exempt from needing to comply with noise limits. In the residential zones these activities include residential, spiritual, education activities and warning devices associated with emergency service facilities. The Rural Zone also contains a number of exemptions such as activities of a limited duration required by primary production activities including agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture and forestry; warning devices for emergency services; and noise from any motor vehicle or any mobile machinery (including farm machinery and stationary equipment not fixed to the ground).

There are also noise rules relating to the Christchurch International Airport and state highways which restrict new sensitive activities (eg residential houses, schools or tourist accommodation) within the airport noise contours and near state highways.

Vibration in the current District Plan

There are few rules within the current District Plan that manage vibration. In the Rural Zone there is a rule which manages vibration from blasting near sensitive activities, and a separate rule manages vibration from any other activity except blasting.