Urban design rules that encourage a safer and more attractive public environment are being proposed in new District Plan rules by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
Urban design changes include a provision for garages to be set back slightly from the front of a dwelling in the residential zone and some requirements around the type and height of fences, particularly where they adjoin public reserves, roads and walkways.

File picture.

Buildings in the commercial zone should have clear windows on the ground floor that cover at least 50 per cent of the building's frontage to a main street and at least 25 per cent for all other streets and public areas such as walkways and public parking areas.
Protecting the amenity of the district's towns is essential to preserve the character and style of urban living that is one of the greatest appeals of the Western Bay, says Mayor Ross Paterson.
'Many people choose to live and work in the Western Bay precisely because of the relaxed character of our urban communities, plus the fact that properties are not too small or too close to each other,” says Ross.
'Council supports the directions in the District Plan that continue this style of living. It is also important with the trend toward higher density that an acceptable level of urban amenity and character is maintained.”
Councillors rejected a proposal for more flexible day-lighting rules that would have allowed a height of 2.7m at the boundary with a 45-degree angle to the property.
Instead, council opted to stick with the 2m rule on the grounds that protecting the amenity of the district's towns is important and needs to be balanced with the focus on increasing density.