Key draft changes for the future District Plan

The Council’s District Plan Committee has endorsed the following key draft changes for further development:

• Consolidate all signage rules into a single district-wide chapter in the Proposed Plan.
• Have more restrictive rules to better manage the adverse effects of:

1. signage not related to a site that they’re placed on such as billboards, trailer-mounted signs, small advertising signs, and temporary signage;
2. on-Council signage on Council land (ie sandwich boards in road reserve); and
3. digital signage in rural and residential environments, which is a new and rapidly emerging technology that was not available when the current District Plan was prepared.

• Have a bylaw or potentially more permissive rules for signage in Council parks and reserves.
• Revise the signage controls adjacent to arterial roads and state highways to better reflect the NZ Transport Agency’s current guidance regarding traffic safety.

With the above draft changes we’re seeking a better balance between allowing signage within certain environments, such as commercial and industrial sites or council parks and reserves where it’s a normal and necessary part of business or serves a functional need, and being more restrictive in more sensitive environments, such as rural and residential areas where the look and feel of these environments can be more affected by signage.