A variation to Thames-Coromandel District Council's Proposed District Plan to reintroduce the Natural Character will be publicly notified on Friday, November 6.

The natural character provisions and overlay were withdrawn in response to public submissions received on natural character. At the same time, council resolved to initiate a variation to introduce natural character back into the plan.

The variation identifies 87 areas of high and outstanding natural character which affects 584 properties totalling 9,700ha in private ownership – roughly 4.5 per cent of the district's total land area.

Council is required by national and regional policy to have provisions in its district plan to preserve natural character.

'We will be making contact with everyone who made a submission on Natural Character in the Proposed District Plan,” says District Plan manager Leigh Robcke, 'as well as the 584 property owners within the proposed overlay, explaining the variation.”

The variation identifies two levels of Natural Character which are mapped on the overlay planning maps: ‘Outstanding Natural Character' and ‘High Natural Character'.

‘Outstanding Natural Character' are largely unmodified natural areas, such as the land between Kennedy Bay and Wainuiototo/New Chum Bay.

While ‘High Natural Character' are natural areas with some degree of modification or development, like the coastal fringe north of Hot Water Beach to Orua Bay.

If a property has an area of natural character mapped on it then the Natural Character provisions of the variation will apply to that part of the property covered by the overlay.

The rules are focused on managing activities affecting the values and characteristics of natural character areas. The highest level of control is applied to outstanding natural character areas.

All information held by council, including district plan provisions is included in property LIM reports.

'In the information we're putting out to the public, we include criteria to assess Natural Character and some explanation about why that particular unit has 'high' or 'outstanding' natural character,” adds Leigh.

'We're not saying this is final - we have provided detailed information so the public can make an informed submission and the District Plan Hearings Panel will make decisions on submissions.”

At this stage hearings have been set down for early 2016 so decisions on the variation can dovetail into the decisions on the rest of the Proposed District Plan.

The Natural Character variation will be publicly notified on Friday, November 6, with public submissions closing on Friday, December 4.

To read the variation click here or for more detailed information and submission forms visit: www.tcdc.govt.nz/dpv1

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

• December 13, 2013 – Proposed District Plan publicly notified
• March 14, 2014 – Submissions closed
• June 16, 2014 – Further submissions closed
• March 4, 2015 – Council resolved to withdraw the natural character overlay provisions from the Proposed District Plan
• April 28 and August 3, 2015 – Council workshops on Natural Character
• October 28, 2015 – Council resolved to adopt the Natural Character variation for public notification
• November 6, 2015 – Public submissions open for Natural Character Variation
• December 4, 2015 – Public submission period closes for Natural Character Variation