Proposed West Coast ‘one district plan’ attracts submitters
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Over 100 hundred submissions have come in so far for the proposed Te Tai o Poutini Plan (TTPP).
The submission close off date for the plan was recently extended again, until 5pm on November 11.
Plan project leader Jo Armstrong, of the West Coast Regional Council, said a large proportion of the more than 100 submitters included large submissions covering broad aspects of the proposed plan. They were not just confined to individuals talking about one point.
"People have expressed gratitude for the extension time," Armstrong said.
A wide variety of subjects had been covered in submissions so far.
This included requests for properties to be re-zoned - mainly in relation to rural/urban boundary issues.
"There's always a number of those sorts of things that come through, which is fine."
Just over 50% of the submissions to date had been via the on-line submission option.
The remaining submitters had submitted via traditional paper-based submissions, Armstrong said.
"It's important we have both, and no-one seems to be having difficulty filling in a form or typing up an on-line submission."
The proposed plan will eventually replace the individual Westland, Grey and Buller district plans.
Aspects of the proposed TTPP are already legally binding with affected property owners first notified by letter after the plan was formally notified on July 21.
The latest submissions extension came after a glitch in sending out new letters to all affected property owners, when some were initially incorrectly identified as having sites and areas of significance to Māori.
This was attributed to technical problems in the mapping system.
The TTPP only has immediate legal effect over some properties if they have identified Sites and Areas of significance to Māori, Historic Heritage, Ecosystems and Indigenous Biodiversity, Natural Character the Margins of water, Activities on the Surface of Water, and Designations.
Armstrong said they were not anticipating any other issue which might warrant a further submission period extension.
Once submissions closed off on November 11, they would be collated by staff for a formal submissions summary, anticipated to be tabled to the committee in late February.
If the committee approved the summary there would be further submissions period - but only for those who had already made a submission by November 11.
From there, formal hearings were expected to begin about the middle of next year.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.6% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.5% A week before Christmas
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33.2% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.