Key draft changes for the future District Plan

The Council’s District Plan Committee has endorsed the following draft changes for further development, which we’re now consulting on:

• Clearly defining that the excavation of aggregate materials (quarrying) is a rural activity and how the associated industrial activities, such as screening and processing, fit in.
• Develop robust policy framework for quarrying which ensures that related factors, such as noise, earthworks, traffic and dust, are considered and a comprehensive set of rules is developed.
• Outline minimum information requirements for assessing resource consent applications for quarry developments.
• Introduce setbacks between new quarries or existing quarries that are expanding, and sensitive activities, such as residential areas.
• Quarrying within a rural zone, and if adopted, outside of a setback area, to be classified as a discretionary or restricted discretionary activity.
• Explore delegating to the regional council the Council’s function of assessing the adverse effect of dust discharge on amenity values.
• Investigate where the starting point of the quarry setback should be from.