Western Bay of Plenty District Councillors have almost completed a four-month marathon hearing submissions and deliberating on proposed changes to the District Plan.
Because final decisions will not be made until just before Christmas, Council has decided not to release the decisions until January when people are back from their summer holidays and businesses are back at work.
The District Plan was notified in February 2009 and attracted 900 submissions from residents voicing support or opposition to the proposed changes.
Hearings were held from August through to November and since then Councillors have been deliberating and will make their final decisions just before Christmas.
Mayor Ross Paterson said that Council felt it would be unfair to release so much important information at a time when businesses, including the development sector, are generally winding down and people are preparing to relax and holiday.
“We actually had to extend the time taken in hearings because so many people wanted to come and present their submissions in person,” says Ross.
“We felt it was important to allow that extra time to enable people to talk with us and it has certainly helped Councillors get a better grip on the issues and how they would impact on people.
“We had hoped to get the final document out well before Christmas – however in light of the longer hearing time, we have decided to hold off until January.”
Ross says the biggest challenge for Council has been to balance the needs of the whole community, not just individuals.
“Achieving this balance inevitably creates some tensions. We have had great feedback from our communities and this has enabled our Councillors to understand people's concerns and be in a better position to make changes that would be more robust.
“We have made a number of changes in response to submissions and Councillors have also made changes to staff recommendations – in some instances rejecting them altogether.”
It has been 15 years since the District Plan was last reviewed in total but in that time the demands of growth, land use changes and urban development at Waihi Beach, Katikati, Omokoroa and Te Puke have necessitated another comprehensive review.
The District Plan controls the activities that people can or cannot do on their property and looks to ensure that these do not compromise the long-term sustainability of the environment.