New rules to be staged

MORE permissive development rules in the Queenstown Lakes district will take effect early next year after a council Uturn.

The council’s planning and strategy committee yesterday agreed to issue decisions on the proposed district plan (PDP) in four stages from early next year until 2020.

The council originally planned to make decisions on the PDP in its entirety in 2019, after considering all the recommendations from its hearing commissioners, but has been persuaded to change its timeframe by planning lawyers.

Planning policy manager Ian Bayliss said ‘‘strong feedback’’ from the planning fraternity had given the council a greater appreciation of the latter’s expectations for how the PDP process would unfold.

In April, planning lawyers Warwick Goldsmith and Maree BakerGalloway called on the council to issue decisions on the first stage earlier than planned, arguing the community would be adversely affected by any delays.

Speaking at the public forum at yesterday’s meeting, Mr Goldsmith thanked councillors and staff for listening to his concerns, and reminded them ‘‘a lot of people have invested time and money in this process’’.

Commissioner hearings on stage 1 of the PDP are expected to conclude in September. Decisions on key chapters, including rural, residential, business and landscapes, should be issued in the first quarter of next year.

That will give ‘‘legal effect’’ to new rules expected to encourage new subdivisions and infill housing, which could ease the district’s housing and rental shortage.