After years of planning, reviewing and consulting with mana whenua, key stakeholders and the community, the Waitomo District Council has formally notified the Proposed Waitomo District Plan (PDP) on 20 October 2022.

Given proposed changes to the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) that are currently being considered by the Government, it is important that the community take this opportunity to provide comments on the future of land use and development in the District.  

General Manager Strategy and Environment, Alex Bell says it’s been a huge undertaking from staff, the community and mana whenua to get to this stage in the process.

“A lot of work has gone into the review and development of the PDP, which started in 2017 and over the course of the review process has involved multiple public meetings, meetings with mana whenua, the development of the five town concept plans, and consultation on a draft version of the District Plan in April of this year. We are now at the stage in the process where we are seeking formal submissions on the PDP in accordance with the RMA.”

Council is required by law to review the District Plan every 10 years to ensure it is consistent with national policies and regulation and responds to new challenges.

“The District Plan is the rule book on how land in the district is used, protected and developed,” says Alex.

“It makes rules about where we can subdivide, the location and height of buildings, what activities we can do and where we can do them.”

“Some will notice the PDP has a different look and feel than the current Operative Waitomo District Plan and that’s because it follows the format of the National Planning Standards, which applies to all district and regional plans, and it has been updated to reflect the changes in legislation, and regional and national policy statements.”

The PDP is open for submissions now until Friday 23 December 2022 at 12pm.

“We encourage you to examine the full plan to understand exactly how it will affect you and your property, a good place to start is by using the PDP snapshot tool” says Alex.

Please click here for more information and to make a submission.