Rural matter: Vegetation planting

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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

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 the current District Plan's rules for vegetation planting. 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 to, you can:

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

Vegetation planting in the current District Plan

Within the current District Plan vegetation planting covers amenity plantings, plantations, and shelter belts. Amenity plantings are defined as vegetation that is immediately around a dwelling for the purposes of visual screening, shelter, or for aesthetic reasons. Additionally amenity plantings can include woodlots, orchards, and vineyards that are under four hectares in size and are only used by the household ie not for commercial gain.

Shelter belts are lines of vegetation no greater than 20 metres in width for the purpose of providing shelter from the wind.

Plantations is a catch-all definition that captures all vegetation that is not covered by the other two definitions. Rules for vegetation covered under plantations are usually more restrictive than for other types of vegetation.

Plantation forestry ie commercially harvested forestry blocks over one hectare in size are covered by the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF). The Selwyn District Plan needs to realign to be consistent with these regulations.

The current District Plan also covers the spread of wilding trees ie invasive trees by restricting certain trees from being planted in the district.


  • Key draft changes for the future District Plan

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

    • A potential reduction in the amenity planting/plantation threshold of four hectares.
    • Redefine the term ‘plantations’ for the new District Plan to avoid confusion with the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry defined ‘plantation forestry’ term.
    • Increase the maximum width of a ‘shelter belt’ from 20 metres to 30 metres.
    • Amend the wilding tree species restriction list to be consistent with regional documents.
    • All significant vegetation would continue to be generally permitted unless located in an area of high landscape value (Outstanding Natural Landscapes (ONL) or Visual Amenity Landscapes (VAL) areas) or a noted cultural site.
    • Place restrictions on certain vegetation within ONL, VAL, and noted cultural areas, such as:
      - Plantation forestry being a non-complying activity within an ONL and a controlled activity within a VAL.
      - Controls on amenity plantings, shelter belts, and plantations within ONL/VAL and cultural site areas, depending on the nature of the planting. For example, domestic garden and native vegetation local to the area would be permitted while on the other hand there would be restrictions on woodlots or orchards.
    For more information on draft changes to ONL and VAL areas see Selwyn District Plan Review: Outstanding natural features and landscapes.

    For more information on cultural landscapes check out Selwyn District Plan Review: Sites and areas of cultural significance.

  • Summary of key issues with the current District Plan

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    As a result of the review of current policies and rules specific to the management of vegetation planting, we’ve identified the following issues with the current District Plan:

    • Potential confusion between the newly introduced term plantation forestry and the term plantations in the current District Plan.
    • Some of the definitions used in the current District Plan aren’t as effective as they could be.
    • Some rules are difficult to administer, and some readjustment of these rules would improve their effectiveness. Additionally, the current rule structure doesn’t align with the draft National Planning Standards.