Proposed Plan Change 10

Suburban Zone: Residential Infill Amenity Management and Miscellaneous Minor Amendments

Overview
Statutory Process
Documents
Enquiries

Overview of Proposed Plan Change 10

Porirua City's current District Plan was prepared during the mid 1990's when infill housing made up a relatively minor component of residential development within the City. Changes in the structure of Porirua's community and the property market in the last decade have however resulted in an increase in the level of infill development within the city, particularly in communities such as Titahi Bay, Paremata, Plimmerton and Porirua East. As a result of these changes, and community concerns surrounding the nature and form of some infill developments, work was initiated in early 2008 to examine whether aspects of the District Plan could be amended to better manage residential infill development.

At the same time, a review of resource consents for new residential developments highlighted that some provisions in the Plan appeared to be unnecessarily generating resource consents for a range of matters. Aspects of the District Plan also appeared to be out of step with District Plans in adjacent Territorial Authority areas.

Proposed Plan Change 10 has been prepared as a result of this review infill development and residential development resource consents.

The primary objectives of the proposed plan change are:

to better manage amenity effects associated with residential infill development; and
to reduce the number of unnecessary resource consents associated with subdivision development lodged with Council; and
to improve the alignment of some common Suburban Zone permitted activity standards with provisions used within other District Plans within the Wellington Region.

Proposed Plan Change 10 seeks to promote better development outcomes for residential development within the City. The intent is to ensure that amenity effects from residential infill development are better managed, and to ensure that the efficiency and effectiveness of the District Plans Suburban Zone provisions are improved. The opportunity is also taken through this plan change to amend the layout and numbering of some sections of the District Plan.

The proposed plan change amends the operative District Plan by:

Amending Suburban Zone Objectives and Policies (C3) to describe issues arising from infill development;
Amending Objective C3.2 (in C3) updating recent population statistics for the City;
Amending methods of implementation and principal reasons for Policy C3.2.1 (in C3), to reflect the introduction of the new Outdoor Living Area control, limited discretionary activity status for certain bulk and location permitted activity standards, and the specific requirement for cumulative effects consideration;
Providing a new Permitted Activity Rule for three dwellings on a site, with two sharing a common party wall;
Amending the Limited Discretionary Height rule, including the introduction of new Matters of Discretion;
Providing new Limited Discretionary Rules, including new Matters of Discretion, for Yards, Height Recession Planes, Carparking in Front Yards and Outdoor Living Areas;
Amending the Site Coverage Permitted Activity Standard;
Amending the Height Recession Plane; and Yard Permitted Activity Standards;
Providing a new Outdoor Living Area Permitted Activity Standard;
Amending Part H Car Parking standard;
Amending definitions of boundary, site, site coverage and yard;
Providing new definitions for access legs, net site area, notional net site area and outdoor living area;
Amending the Controlled Activity Standards for Subdivision;
Amending the layout and numbering of Part D3 and Part H of the District Plan.

Statutory process

The proposed plan change and supporting assessment under section 32 of the Resource Management Act 1991 was approved for notification by Council on 29 September 2009.

Public submissions on the plan change closed on 20th November 2009. 14 submissions were received during this period. These submissions have been numbered 1 through to 14 in the order they were received in.

Council prepared a summary of decisions requested, and sought further submissions on this Proposed Plan Change. No further submissions were received.

Council Officers are currently considering the proposed plan change and preparing a report, which will include a recommendation on matters raised in submissions. The report will be available for downloading on this page in the future, and will be posted to all submitters.

The hearing for Proposed Plan Change 10 – Suburban Zone: Residential Infill Amenity Management and Miscellaneous Minor Amendments, will be scheduled once the Council Officer’s report is made available.

Following the hearing the Hearings Panel will consider the proposed plan change, Council Officer’s report and all the submissions. The Hearing Panel will then make its recommendations to the Council, which includes the reasons for accepting or rejecting any submissions.

The Council will then make its final decision on Proposed Plan Change 10 and submissions received. Submitters will be notified of that decision.

Any submitter can then appeal these decisions to the Environment Court within the statutory time period allowed under the Resource Management Act 1991.