How can we manage subdivision and development?

Land is a key resource for all of us, providing a place to live, work and play.  Land can also be used to generate capital and income.  It is therefore not surprising that the subdivision and development chapter is one of the most frequently used in the district plan.

Development is defined separately from subdivision.  Whether or not a person can subdivide is one of the most frequently asked planning inquiries the Council planning team receive.
Subdivision is the legal process of altering legal boundaries.  All subdivisions in the district require a resource consent under the current district plan.

Development is the process of undertaking activities on land.

The Resource Management Act states quite clearly that the district plan must be used to control and manage adverse impacts of subdivision and development.  It is the rules in the plan that enables subdivision proposals to be assessed.
Subdivision rules are established through community consultation, and should be written in language that is as clear as possible.  Once in place, they define and control options for the life of the plan.

Once subdivision occurs it is forever, and it is therefore very important that applications are assessed in a comprehensive and consistent manner.

The district plan identifies five issues that may arise from subdivision and development:

• Impacts on amenity and heritage values
• The implications and management of natural hazards such as slippage and inundation
• The need for appropriate infrastructure and services
• Effects on water quality, both positive and negative
• Change in the way land is used in the rural areas may impact negatively on people’s perceptions of what the rural landscape should look like.

Some of the matters that may be considered as part of the review include:

• Subdivision generally results in a higher density of housing, with implicit positive and negative effects.  For example demands on services increase, but the per capita cost of supply is relatively low.  Increasing housing densities changes the nature of communities, and the process requires management.  What new rules are needed to manage this process?
• Management must be balanced.  Too many rules result in micro-management and high administration loads.  Too few rules mean the options may be unclear.  Should the current set of rules be adjusted?
  
• The Council could remove most of the more technical rules about subdivision and development from the district plan, and place them in a separate document (perhaps resulting in a separate consultation process).  What do you think of such an initiative?
  
• Do the current district plan rules controlling subdivision and development provide enough protection for waterways and lakes?  What adjustments, additions, or removals would you recommend?
• Do the rules currently controlling rural subdivision do enough to protect the interests of local communities now, and into the future?
• To what extent should financial gain be allowed to drive the subdivision and development process?