ECan water plan draws big response

It could be several months before hearings begin on Plan Change 7 (PC7), which is shaping up to be one of the most contentious planning matters Environment Canterbury has overseen.

ECan regional planning officer Andrew Parrish said PC7, which sets new water quality limits and has a particular focus on the Orari-Temuka-Opihi-Pareora (Otop) and Waimakariri catchments, received ‘‘hundreds’’ of submissions.

He said previous plan changes had not received anywhere near as many submissions as PC7, nor had the original Land & Water Regional Plan, which received 360 submissions.

‘‘Now the submission period has closed, a summary of the decisions requested will be prepared by ECan staff and publicly notified for further submissions later this year. Following this, a public hearing of submissions and evidence will happen,’’ Parrish said.

‘‘The hearing in front of an independent hearing panel is likely to be held during the first half of 2020. The panel will prepare a set of recommendations for council to consider and potentially adopt as its decision,’’ Parrish said.

At a recent public meeting on the Government’s reform to the National Policy Statement for freshwater management (NPS), Waimate District councillor Tom O’Connor asked whether there was the possibility of the Government ‘‘calling in’’ PC7 until the NPS was finalised. Forest and Bird has also asked for PC7 be postponed, called in or rewritten.

However, Parrish said it was a ‘‘question for Government’’ as to whether PC7 would be ‘‘called in’’.

‘‘The Government’s proposals in the Action Plan for Healthy Waterways are at the start of the public consultation process. PC7 is in the middle of the formal Resource Management Act process under the legislation as it now stands,’’ Parrish said.