Dunedin City Council says its district plan – the 2GP – will mark a major milestone when it becomes fully operative later this month, following a vote at yesterday’s Council meeting.
Council Development Manager, Dr Anna Johnson says the milestone will be reached on 17 June, completing a significant process stretching back to 2015.
“It means our new plan – the 2GP – formally replaces the previous district plan on that date,” said Dr Johnson.
“The 2GP is the key document setting out the rules and requirements for land use and development in Dunedin. It has a critical role in shaping the look and feel of our city as well as the opportunities we enable for future housing and business to locate in Dunedin.”
Dr Johnson says the development of the plan involved significant engagement with the community and key stakeholders and technical work by staff. The plan was then notified and formal submissions and hearings with a panel of independent commissioners and elected members followed.
There were then Environment Court appeals and mediations, and for a small number of matters, Environment Court hearings.
“This was a long, complex and interesting journey that dealt with some complex technical matters and grappled with some difficult decisions, including how to balance competing opinions and evidence,’ she said.
“We’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the development of the 2GP along the way including the wide range of submitters, experts and other stakeholders, who have had a huge influence on the final outcome.
“We also acknowledge the challenging job that the Hearing Panel had and the hard work of those members to consider thousands of pages of submissions and evidence.
“The results of that long process is a plan whichbalances the need for growth and development while protecting things the community values, such as maintaining biodiversity, significant heritage buildings and places, important landscapes and areas of significance to mana whenua. It also considers the risks associated with natural hazards, climate change and the challenges of mitigation and adaptation,” Dr Johnson says.
The Council first publicly notified the Proposed Second Generation Dunedin City District Plan (2GP) in 2015, followed by extensive public consultation. There were 1055 submissions and 452 further submissions on the plan, followed by 105 days hearing from 770 submitters.
The Hearing Panel notified their decisions in 2018, after which 83 appeals were lodged against a range of decisions. All of the appeals have since been resolved, mostly through mediation, meaning the 2GP can now be made operative, Dr Johnson says.
The Operative Dunedin City Second Generation District Plan (2026) and associated Planning Map are viewable at www.dunedin.govt.nz/2gp.
