Stage Three of the Proposed District Plan community feedback

The District Plan is a set of objectives and rules that guide and enable land use and development in our district over the next ten years. This Thursday, 19 September, Stage Three of the proposed District Plan will open for public submissions.

A wide range of topics will be covered. They include General Industrial Zone; Townships (Settlement Zone); Three Parks; Wāhi Tūpuna (Sites of Significance to Iwi); 100 Ballantyne Road Active Sport and Recreation Zone, and Design Guidelines for Residential and Business Mixed Use Zones.

QLDC Planning and Policy Manager Ian Bayliss said the public submission stage would give Queenstown Lakes District residents a chance to shape the future of their community.

“The District Plan assists land users and Council staff in determining what can be developed and where, while retaining and protecting what’s important to our community,” Mr Bayliss said.

The Townships Zone affects seven townships in the district: Hāwea, Albert Town, Glenorchy, Kinloch, Luggate, Kingston, and Makarora. These places provide unique living opportunities, and the District Plan’s Settlement Zone chapter proposes a number of changes to future-proof these communities and ensure the rules applied are still relevant.

“Under the proposed changes we’re aiming to retain the unique characteristics of the different townships,” Mr Bayliss said.

“However, we’re also determined to ensure they adapt and thrive as communities evolve. This is an opportunity for residents to think about what their towns could look like from a residential zoning perspective – for example, what type of density housing they would be comfortable with.”

QLDC has also been working closely with local iwi representatives to identify and map Wāhi Tūpuna locations.

“Wāhi Tūpuna are landscapes and places that hold particular cultural and ancestral significance to Kāi Tahu and by mapping them, it should help to appropriately manage and protect these locations,” Mr Bayliss said.

This strategic approach was set out in Stage One of the Proposed District Plan, and is also a statutory directive in various legislation, including the Local Government Act, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the Resource Management Act.

For many of the topics addressed in this stage of the review, the conversation began in February 2019 with the My Place roadshow which visited most of the district’s townships.

All property owners within the Queenstown Lakes District will be sent a notification pack, including a fact sheet summarising the proposed changes and details about how to get involved in the process. This summary factsheet will also be inserted into local newspapers via the Mountain Scene and Wanaka Sun. From Thursday, information will also be available on the QLDC website: www.qldc.govt.nz/proposed-district-plan-stage-3.

For those needing clarification on the proposals, a duty policy planner will be available every workday until submissions close. They can be reached by phone at 03 441 0499 (Queenstown) or 03 443 0024 (Wānaka), and by email at pdpenquiries@qldc.govt.nz.

“If you have questions, please pick up the phone or drop in to see us. We’re happy to help you understand the proposals and to clarify how to get involved in the process,” Mr Bayliss said. 

The submission period for the proposed Queenstown Lakes District Plan closes on Monday 18 November.

“After this submission period closes, there are quite a few steps before we get to the Operative District Plan stage (for Stages One and Two, for instance, we are still at the appeals stage) but we will keep the community updated as the review progresses,” Mr Bayliss added.

Three further topics are intended for notification later in 2020 as additional research is still underway. These are Affordable Housing; Rural Visitor Zone; and also Brewery Creek and Reavers Lane Natural Hazards.

ENDS.

Media contact: communications@qldc.govt.nz or call 03 441 1802.

To view more details on Stage 3 of the District Plan review (and the previous stages), please visit: www.qldc.govt.nz/proposed-district-plan-stage-3

To view details on the My Place roadshow, please visit: www.qldc.govt.nz/your-council/your-views/my-place.