In September 2023 the first set of hearings concluded on the Proposed District Plan, which included provisions relating to intensification.
First set of hearings – February-September 2023
There were six hearings between February and September 2023, covering more than 35 topics over 36 days.
The Proposed District Plan follows two planning processes:
- the Intensification Streamlined Planning Process (ISPP), and
- the standard Plan Change process (RMA, Schedule 1).
The ISPP is used to implement plan provisions that relate to intensification, the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 (NPS-UD) and the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS).
All provisions relating to intensification were included in hearings held between February and September. You can find all of the submissions in our submissions database here. For the submitters that presented at the hearings, you can find the day they presented and a link to that days hearing recording in the following documents:
Independent Hearing Panel recommendation reports
The Independent Hearings Panel (IHP) have deliberated and provided recommendations on the topics heard in the first tranche of hearings.
These reports provide a recommended set of plan provisions and set out whether submissions should be accepted or rejected.
Council briefings and decision-making
Council meeting – March 2024
The Council met on Thursday 14 March 2024 to make decisions on the IHP’s recommendations.
The IHP's reports were considered by the Council in deciding whether to accept or reject the recommendations of the IHP. In addition, there were specific requirements that the Council had to follow in making their decisions on the IHP's recommendations.
Read more about the decision-making process: Decision-making on the Proposed District Plan Intensification provisions (232KB PDF)
Read the Council's decisions on the IHP's recommendations and for further detail on the status of the Plan provisions.
Briefings – February 2024
Ahead of the decisions, the IHP’s reports were presented to the Council in February 2024 at six public briefings:
- Wednesday 7 February – Process recap, legal matters and strategic direction
- Tuesday 13 February – Residential Zones, Character Precincts and Centres Zones
- Wednesday 14 February – City Centre and Waterfront Zones
- Tuesday 20 February – Historic Heritage, Notable Trees, Viewshafts and Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori
- Tuesday 27 February – Natural hazards, Three Waters, Noise, Earthworks and Subdivision
- Wednesday 28 February – Q&A session
- Tuesday 12 March – Q&A session
The IHP’s reports are available below.
Legal advice to councillors
Barrister Nick Whittington provided advice on the process for Council decisions on IHP recommendations.
Legal advice - Council decisions on IHP recommendations (191KB PDF)