Plan change 26 recommendations to be considered

Recommendations on a Government-directed plan change to introduce medium-density residential housing rules in the Waipā District will be considered at a Council workshop on Tuesday.

The workshop will outline recommendations from an independent hearings panel who considered submissions to Plan Change 26, which could see two houses, up to three storeys high, built in Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Kihikihi, without a resource consent or notifying neighbours.

The plan change relates to the Government’s requirement for Waipā, as a tier one growth council, to allow medium-density residential areas. It was notified in August 2022 and more than 100 submissions were received. Hearings were held through 2023, with the majority expressing concern about the requirements.

The council had sought an extension to the time it had to consider panel’s recommendations to February next year but that was declined, and Ministerial direction given for notification to be made by the end of August.

Group manager district growth and regulatory Wayne Allan said there were 16 recommendations made by the panel covering site coverage definitions, restriction of discretion, stormwater overlay provisions and assessment criteria.

“Plan change 26 is likely to result in significant changes to the look and feel of our towns given the Government mandatory requirements,” he said.

“There are parts of the plan change recommendations which need to be considered in detail by Council before final decisions can be made.”

No decisions can be made in a workshop. Staff will seek direction to inform a formal paper confirming their position at a Council meeting on Monday, August 19.

Anyone interested in watching the workshop can do so on the meeting page here.