The Whakatāne District Council has received close to 400 submissions on its Proposed District Plan. Submissions closed on 13 September, with feedback being received from a wide range of organisations and individuals.

All submissions, including the Council’s own, have been made available on the Whakatāne District Council website.

Submissions will now be summarised, and a summary of the decisions requested will be publicly notified at the end of November. At that time, submitters will be able to make further submissions in support of, or in opposition to any of the submissions lodged. Submission hearings will be held in 2014 and will provide submitters with an opportunity to present their case in person to a Hearings Committee, or in some instances, to an Independent Commissioner.

Prior to the further submission process, the Council has also committed to consulting as widely as possible on the matters raised in its Executive submission seeking a deferred marine precinct zoning for Council-owned land at Bunyan Road.

Manager Policy, Julie Gardyne, says the Council is pleased with both the number of submissions received and the degree of research and consideration which has been undertaken by most submitters. “We look forward to hearing further from submitters through the further submissions process and in next year’s hearings and detailed plan considerations,” she says.

Anyone wanting further information on the submission process should ring the Council on 306 0500 or see the Council’s website for a copy of the submissions.