There has been a flurry of activity in the urban planning sphere lately, as a number of District and City Councils across the country notified draft intensification plan changes for public feedback. This comes ahead of the national deadline set for territorial authorities to amend their plans to give effect to the recent legislation change that requires the implementation of the mandatory Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS). It also coincides with the urban intensification changes required under the policies of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD).
Being drafts, these plan changes don’t have any legal effect yet and the feedback received will be used by the Councils to inform the final plan changes for formal notification. This formal notification must occur prior to August 2022, and once this happens the MDRS will have legal effect from that date (as opposed to the usual process for plan changes where rules don’t have effect until decisions are made). Additionally, the legislation requires that some specified territorial authorities must use the new intensification streamlined planning process (ISPP), which removes the ability to appeal the decisions, meaning that participation in the submission and hearing process will be key in making your views known. The MDRS changes are mandatory (subject to some exceptions) so there is no ability to seek changes to these specific provisions through submissions. There will however be an ability to submit on the changes resulting from the implementation of the policies of the NPS-UD, which require intensification around centres and rapid transit stops.
The next three months will see a lot of plan changes notified, so keep an eye out on your local Council’s public consultation pages on their website and on the notices in your local newspaper for these. Alternatively, get in touch with us here at BCPG to see what might be coming your way and how you can get involved.