New Brough’s Gully plan report released
A new report on the Timaru District Council’s proposed plan for Brough’s Gully from a planning consultant has been released, and recommends minimal changes to the proposal.
The council last year obtained permission from the Environment Court to put its proposed rules into immediate effect, a ruling which stopped landowners potentially impeding a plan before a decision was made by an independent commissioner.
The purpose of the Brough’s Gully plan is to allow urban development on the northern fringe of the Oceanview suburb, and to con- nect to essential services such as water, roads, stormwater and sewage.
The Brough’s Gully plan change is set to have a hearing under the Resource Management Act on August 2 and 3 in the Timaru District Council chambers.
Under the new rules developments could potentially be restricted, depending on where a future road or service delivery went.
The latest report came out on June 12 and was written by planning consultant Marcus Langman.
Langman’s report said Transpower New Zealand Limited sought a number of amendments to the plan change in order to give effect to the National Policy State- ment on Electricity Transmission (NPSET).
The report recommended minor drafting changes to address clarity in the plan, and the inclusion of a more comprehensive set of provisions to give effect to the NPSET.
However Langman recommended other submissions from the New Zealand Transport Agency were rejected.
When it came to stormwater a number of submissions were made in relation to stormwater management issues.
A resource consent was lodged, seeking to establish a commercial storage facility in the area of the proposed stormwater detention ponds.
However as consent had not been granted at the time the plan change was considered, the resource consent application did not make any difference to the plan change decision.
‘‘In relation to stormwater matters, more information is required on alternative design and locations before any comparative evaluation can be undertaken,’’ the report concluded.
Councillors first discussed the Brough’s Gully plan behind closed doors in December.
Decisions from the Environment Court, as well as opinions written last year from different planning consultants, went up on the Timaru District Council’s website last week.
A public notice calling for further submissions was notified on March 6, 2017.