District Plan submission deadline in 10 days

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 575, 28 February 1995, Page 1

District Plan submission deadline in 10 days

If there is something in the Ruapehu District Council Proposed District Plan that you would like changed, you' ve got until 10 March to make your views Known. By law, the council can only change parts of the plan that are the subject of submissions. At a public meeting at the Waimarino Club in Raetihi last Tuesday, Federated Farmers regional policy executive Gavin Forrest outlined concerns his organisation had about aspects of the plan that would affect rural landowners. He told the meeting of the views that FF would be expressing in its submission. "If the community doesn't say what it wants, how can

the council act (to change it)?" said Mr Forrest. He said if anyone wanted something changed in the plan they, rteeded to make a submission which not only explained what the submitter wanted changed, but also contained reasons for the change. Information on how to make a submission is available from council offices. Timetable Council planner Jeff Page gave a summary of the process of developing the plan. He said the plan was accepted as it stands at present by Tum to Page 14

District Plan submission deadline in 10 days

the Ruapehu District Council in December and public notification made. The close-off date of 10 March gave people much more than the required 40 working days to make submissions. Following closing of submissions the council makes them public, and then there is a further 20-day period when people can make counter-submissions. Following that process, hearings are held to consider all the submissions, the planners make recommendations on the submissions, and the council alters the plan according to submissions, or rejects them. Then there is a 1 5-day period in which people can appeal to the Planning Tribunal on the amended Plan. MrPage said they hoped to get to that stage by the end of 1995 or early 1996. He stressed the necessity of submissions. "If things don't have submissions made to them they remain (in the Plan) as is by default." Mr Forrest said the council was required to explain what it was trying to aehieve with each rule, justify why it wanted to aehieve that goal, and prove that its chosen way was the best to aehieve it. Forests Indigenous forests are covered by the plan with the council deciding it needed to identify which are areas of "potentially significant indigenous vegetation". In the plan if a landowner wanted to cut areas of forest that fell under certain descriptions they had to apply for council permission. Mr Forrest said FF believed there should be greater clarity in the descriptions of indigenous vegetation. If the council is happy that an area is not significant it will grant permission. "If the council is not sure, it goes to a hearing and anyone in the country can object." He talked about compensation for landowners who are not allowed to clear native vegetation, saying it was allowed for under the Resource Management Act (RMA) but not mentioned in the Plan. "FF believes if the council says 'this area is of significant indigenous vegetation' then there should be compensation." "If you think it's your land and you can do anything you like with it, you're in for a bit of a shock," he said referring to the RMA. "If you think you can do anything reasonable then it (the RMA) is pretty fair." "There is not a lot of power for the Ruapehu District Council to intervene into what you would call normal farming practices," he said. In answer to a question from the floor, Mr Page said the council did not intend to "be involved in scrub clearing". "If it appears that way, please make a submission." Mr Page outlined the various levels of activity covered by the plan: 'Permitted' means a landowner can do it "as of right". 'Controlled' means the council can't refiise permission but it can impose conditions. 'Discretionary' means the council has the power to refuse or approve an application for a proposed land use activity. 'Non Complying' means "the answer is 'no' unless you have a good case for the council saying 'yes'". 'Prohibited' means the council cannot approve of the activity.

Mr Page said there were no prohibited activities identified in the plan. He was asked about hearings costs, and replied that they can depend on the standard of application and the "fervour and number" of opposition. "The moral of the story is 'get on with your neighbours' or they can cost you (by objecting to your plans)," said Mr Forrest. Esplanade strips Mr Forrest then outlined Federated Farmers' views on the rules surrounding esplanade strips. Under the Plan the council can require a landowner to create an access strip easement, 20 metres wide along named streams, when a subdivision is created. With a subdivision that is under four hectares the Council can demand the strip as of right with no compensation payable to the landowner. With a subdivision over four hectares compensation is payable to the landowner. The rivers and streams identified in the plan are: the Mangateitei, Mangawhero, Mangaturuturu, Manganui a Te Ao, Makatote, Whakapapa, Whanganui, Hautapu, Ongarue, Retaruke, Ohura, Punga Punga, Taringamotu,

Mangakahu, Waimiha, Waione, Maramatoha, Piopiotea, Waimarino and Mangatepopo. MrJForrest said there needed to be a close look at the rivers and streams to be sure which ones were important for public access, and probably which parts of rivers needed to have public access available. Mr Page said the default position under the Plan was that in rural areas esplanade strips would be required (where an easement is drawn up and no surveying is required) and that in urban areas reserves would be required (where the land passes into council ownership). There was much discussion on the urban situation (see separate story), with Mr Forrest suggesting urban land owners get together very soon to analyse the Plan and formulate their own submissions. Also affecting rural landowners is a section dealing with protecting 'outstanding natural features and landscapes'. Under this section a landowner would require council permission to plant exotic forests, build structures and carry out earthworks exceeding 100 cubic metres in volume within 100 metres of the Whanganui, Whakapapa, Manganui a Te Ao, Makatote, Mangaturuturu, Hautapu rivers and the Irirangi swamp.