Get property info in three clicks
A new online version of New Plymouth’s draft District Plan will help everyone, from developers to planners to homeowners, find information about a property at the click of a mouse, staff say.
The District Plan has to be renewed every 10 years and this time round the draft plan is going to be available on the internet, which is a first for New Zealand, New Plymouth District Council group manager strategy Liam Hodgetts said.
‘‘We’re quite excited about it.’’ And so are other councils around the country, because they keep calling and asking for advice, he said.
The site is easy to use - put in an address and follow the prompts.
On individual properties information includes whether the section can be subdivided, height restrictions on any new buildings, whether a business can be run from the property, how many customers are allowed each day and what type of advertising signage is allowed.
Hodgetts said the whole concept is about turning bureaucratic paperwork into something that is a lot more user-friendly.
Until now, if someone wanted to buy a property in rural area, for example, and they wanted chickens and pigs, they would have had to wade through three large folders of information - or hire someone to look through it - to find out what they were were able to do, he said.
‘‘Now, information can be accessed in three clicks.’’
A loudhailer icon features on the site and can be clicked to contact the council.
Council officers want feedback on both the new e-planner and the district plan itself, he said.
‘‘This is your opportunity to start to know your zone, know where we are growing, know where to do business and to get to know our coastal story.’’
The site has been two years in the making. It is very visual with aerial photography and maps over laid over each other. It uses a ‘‘traffic light system’’ with the red, green and yellow highlighting what is allowed and what isn’t on a property.
None of the rules or zonings in the draft plan apply at this stage as NPDC is still at the early stage of the process but NPDC wants feedback on the proposals.
The Digital District Plan will be online at newplymouthnz.com/DraftDistrictPlan from Monday.