Christchurch City Council regains control of District Plan

Christchurch City Council is being given back full responsibility for administering and managing its District Plan.

The move is being welcomed by Mayor Lianne Dalziel as an important step forward for the city.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel

We have come a long way since the Land Use Recovery Plan was put in place and the time is now right for us be able to use normal planning processes to manage our District Plan,’’ the Mayor says.

Prior to the earthquakes the Council was undertaking a review of the planning rules contained in both the Christchurch District Plan and the Banks Peninsula District Plan. This process is required to be undertaken every 10 years.“

Following the earthquakes an Order was made through the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act that fast-tracked the review process and enabled a comprehensive single replacement district plan to be put in place for Christchurch.

That single replacement district plan, called the Christchurch District Plan, has been operative since the end of 2017.

However, while the Order is still in place the Council has been unable to initiate any plan changes, other than through the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Act.

The Order contained the controversial Statement of Expectations which required the Replacement District Plan to “reduce significantly’’:

• Reliance on Resource Consent processes
• The number, extent and prescriptiveness of development and design standards in the rules
• The requirement for notifications and written approvals

“Although the Order is revoked, these objectives now sit in the Strategic Directions chapter of the District Plan,’’ the Mayor says.