New rules for beekeeping proposed
Rules around beekeeping in urban areas, changes to water supply for rural firefighting and other technical improvements are part of three proposed plan changes open for consultation.
Waipā District Council will open submissions for proposed Plan Change (PC) 15, PC 16 and PC 18 on Friday 4 December.
Council’s manager district plan and growth, Tony Quickfall said the proposed changes aim to provide customers with a more consistent, clear approach across the different zones.
“We expect this will improve efficiency and effectiveness of the Waipā District Plan.”
“These changes aim to ensure the District Plan remains appropriate for our community and will result in a better customer experience for our residents and developers.”
One change expected to sound sweet to the ears of hobbyist beekeepers is PC 18, which proposes moving beekeeping in the Residential and Large Lot Residential Zone to a permitted activity. This change would allow up to two beehives per property before a resource consent is required. Currently beekeeping in these residential zones is not permitted without obtaining a resource consent first.
PC 16 includes technical improvements to clarify rules around the size requirements of water supply for rural firefighting purposes, glazing and facades for stand-alone garages in the residential zone, and the location and size of outdoor living areas.
Rounding up the three proposed plan changes is PC 15, which aims to provide consistency between similar rules across different zones, changing the category of consent required for impermeable surfaces – those that don’t absorb water such as concrete – and to increase the surface size area for larger sites within the large lot residential zones.
Detailed information about the proposed plan changes, section 32 reports and submission forms are available at www.waipadc.govt.nz/planchanges or by heading into a Council office in Te Awamutu or Cambridge. Submissions close at 5pm, 29 January 2021.
Submitters can elect to be heard at a Council hearing in March or April 2021 in support of their submissions. Plan change decisions would be made thereafter.
