A summary of the decisions requested by submitters to the Whakatāne District Council’s Proposed District Plan is now available via the Council website or at Council offices and District libraries.

The Council received 390 submissions to the proposed plan, which was notified on 28 June, with submissions closing on 13 September. Further submissions may now be made in support of, or in opposition to those initial submissions. Further submitters must be able to demonstrate that they represent a relevant aspect of the public interest or that they have an interest in the proposed plan which is greater than the general public interest.

“To be able to make a further submission as a new submitter, an individual or an organisation must have some particular perspective to represent which elevates their interest above that of the general public,” explains Council Strategy and Planning General Manager, David Bewley. “Further submissions also have to refer specifically to matters raised in the initial submissions and anyone making a further submission is also required to provide a copy, within five working days, to the person or organisation whose original submission they are opposing or supporting.”

The period for further submissions will close at 5:00 pm on Friday, 19 December 2013. Mr Bewley says submissions and any further submissions to the Proposed District Plan will be considered by the District Plan Hearings Committee, or a panel of independent commissioners. Hearings for submitters wishing to be heard in support of their submissions are likely to begin in late March next year.

Once the hearing process is completed in late 2014, the Council will notify submitters of the decisions made regarding their requests. Those decisions may be appealed, by the submitters, to the Environment Court.