The Whakatāne District Council is seeking community input on Plan Change 4 (PC4): Building Platform Level. The proposed change to the Whakatāne District Plan aims to better manage flood risk to buildings and simplify the consenting process.
Manager Policy, Planning and Consents Nicholas Woodley says the purpose of the current rule is to manage flood risk and help keep buildings dry; however improvements have been identified for the way in which the rule is applied.
“The current rule creates unnecessary confusion for applicants so we’re proposing three amendments which we believe will enhance the effectiveness of the rule,” says Mr Woodley.
He explains, “The current floor level rule is hard to understand and doesn’t cover all building methods, such as using piled foundations. The rule also makes the process to get consent for an addition more difficult than it should be. Lastly, the proposed plan change requires resource consent if the predicted depth of flood waters is high enough that it may compromise people’s safety.”
Plan Change 4 proposes the following key changes:
- Modify the wording of the existing rule so piled foundations can be used to raise building platform levels
- Simplify the process for adding small extensions to buildings and build attached garages below the predicted flood level
- The need to apply for a resource consent for any building where the predicted 100 year flood level exceeds 300mm in depth.
“The changes proposed by PC4 aim to make the District Plan’s flood management framework more effective and user-friendly while maintaining necessary safety and flood risk mitigation standards.”
Submissions on the proposed plan change are now open, and residents can submit their thoughts until 5pm, Thursday 13 March 2025.
“We encourage residents to share their views before any changes are finalised,” adds Mr Woodley.
For more information and to have your say please visit koreromai.whakatane.govt.nz/planchange4.
