Tweaks to District Plan proposed
News
Minor changes to make Council’s District Plan more workable and practical may be on the way.
Changes to the District Plan – the rule book for how the district develops – looks to tidy up a range of issues including:
- Increasing the number of public events that can be held each year in the Cambridge Town hall piazza. Currently only two events - Anzac Day and Armistice Day - are allowed. The proposed change, requested by the Cambridge Town Hall Trust, would see more events allowed in what is already a commercial zone.
- Removing references to hazardous substances which are already covered by other legislation
- Developing a lighting standard to minimise glare from new commercial and industrial developments close to residential properties. This follows feedback from some nearby residents.
- Ensuring rural shelter belts cannot exceed six metres in height.
- Requiring shade cloths used for crop protection to be either black or green to minimise visual effects.
- Removing some restrictions on the size of solar power collection panels and introducing a resource consenting pathway for solar farms.
- Developing a new permitted noise level rule for St Kilda in Cambridge, which takes into account the nearby Waikato Expressway.
Group manager growth and regulatory services Wayne Allan said the proposed changes were reasonably minor technical amendments but would reduce red tape, take less staff time and also address some concerns raised by residents.
As required by the Resource Management Act, the proposed Plan Change will go through a formal notification process and public submissions will be invited.