Summary of key issues with the current District Plan

As a result of the review of current policies and rules specific to rural density, we’ve identified the following issues:

• Lack of strong and clear direction for densities in the Rural Zone which potentially contributes to sprawl into areas normally used for primary production, subsequently compromising the character of the Rural Zone.
• Complex rules.
• Existing densities in the Port Hills area are tied to contour lines rather than the actual character of the surrounding area. Additionally, in other areas of the Rural Zone the prescribed density also does not reflect the character of the area.
• Reverse sensitivity (this is the vulnerability of an established land use (for example, farming) to complaints from a newly established, more sensitive land use (for example, new houses and other noise or odour-sensitive activities). In practice such complaints can compromise the established land use by restricting when or how it can operate).