District Plan and Structure Planning

Striving for Appropriate Development

At a Glance

Primary Services

• District Plan
• Structure planning
• Sustainable environment

Why We Do It

Council is required to have a District Plan for the district under the provisions of the Resource Management Act 1991. However, the overall vision and purpose of the activity is to provide for planned growth and development in the Far North district to ensure that our natural and physical resources are managed in a sustainable manner, providing opportunities for our communities and future generations to prosper socially, economically, and culturally. A key tool for achieving this is the District Plan.

What Has Changed Since The LTCCP 2009/19?

There are no significant changes to District Plan, structure planning and sustainable environment priorities since the publication of the 2009/19 LTCCP.

District Planning Priorities For 2011/12	What We Have / Haven't Achieved
Continuing technical training programmes aiming to ensure all technical officers are formally qualified by 2013	Ongoing training has taken place on a monthly basis in addition with the adoption of the national framework for competency the technical training has been verified by an external moderator.
Providing educational programmes with the development industry on the building and RMA processes and District Plan requirements	Regular practitioner meetings have been held on a quarterly basis that discusses both building and RMA aspects. Have also held an educational workshop with sector groups for example the real estate, banking and building surveyors, local planning and survey firms.
Continuing cooperation with all agencies in the Far North Liquor Accord, (N.Z. Police, Fire Service, and Northland Health) to promote compliance and responsible attitudes to the liquor licensing process	Far North District Council remains an active member of the FNAT group, represented by the district liquor licensing officer and the manager, environmental protection. The Acting General Manager Environmental Management is on the steering committee.

Structure Planning Priorities For 2011/12	What We Have / Haven't Achieved
Continuing to progress the implementation of the Kerikeri - Waipapa Structure Plan changes including the rezoning of land in line with the strategic provision of Council infrastructure	No plan changes implemented directly related to the Kerikeri - Waipapa structure plan. Plan Change 8, which gave effect to part of the structure plan, was withdrawn following the recommendation of the Hearing Commissioners.
Supporting the development and implementation of community development plans where projects are identified and resourced in the Annual Plan	A target of 4 community plans was achieved.

Sustainable Development Priorities For 2011/12	What We Have / Haven't Achieved
Continuing to develop the Climate Change Strategy	Draft has been completed and was presented to GMT for comment.
Continuing to develop and implement an awareness programme around the District Plan, renewable energy & energy efficiency and sustainability	While no formal awareness programme in place, staff continue to provide advice, attend public meetings and promote awareness of the District Plan, renewable energy and efficiency when opportunities arise. We have also updated web page information, and held education workshops with sector groups such as real estate, planning professionals, engineers and surveyors.
Investigating and advocating (with regional and national government) for research into natural hazards affecting the Far North	Flood modelling information being worked on by Northland Regional Council technical staff, and coastal hazard information being reviewed. This work is part of the revision of the regional policy statement for Northland. Council has had representation at both political and staff level in the regional policy statement review process.
Continuing to work through compliance issues raised through the Inter - Council Working Group on GMOs	Staff and elected representatives have actively participated in the working group. Council also committed funding towards the development of the section 32 report.
Working to fully understand the implications of the Government's new coastal policy statement and Fresh Water Policy for the district's communities.	Have identified those policies within the NZCPS that will impact the most on the Far North district's communities. Have also identified where the revised regional policy statement's coastal policies and methods will impact greatest on Far North communities.

Future Issues / Challenges	Implications
Lack of robust natural hazard information available and the high cost of obtaining such data	Need to ensure that priority is given to hazard research and information at central and regional government levels.
Financial restraints limiting the amount of work that can be done on the District Plan along with increasing amount of work required due to central and regional government planning documents	The prioritisation of plan changes to the District Plan requires careful consideration along with the commencement of a rolling review as opposed to one large proposed District Plan project.
Climate change may present significant challenges for the district, particularly over the long term. Key impacts predicted include temperature warming, higher intensity storm events, reduced annual rainfall and sea level rise	The predicted impacts of climate change would have far reaching consequences for the district, from increased flood risk, coastal inundation and related erosion hazard, to reduced water availability for urban water supply.
Sustainable growth and development of the district	Review of parts of the District Plan required ensuring that sustainable growth is occurring particularly in the rural zones.

Community outcomes

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Financials

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