About this plan change
The Government passed a law in late 2021 requiring councils to change their planning rules to allow housing up to three storeys high and three homes per section in most residential areas, without requiring council planning permission (resource consent). The legislation introduced ‘medium density residential standards’ that the Council must include in the District Plan (the City’s rulebook for subdivision and development).
In addition, the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) means Council is also required to allow housing of at least six storeys within walking distance of our train stations, the CBD and the Petone commercial area. More housing (also known as intensification) may also be allowed in residential areas such as the suburban centres of Avalon, Eastbourne, Moera, Stokes Valley and Wainuiomata.
These changes legally need to be incorporated into our District Plan as a Plan Change, which is separate from the current review of the entire District Plan.
Council may limit these new rules only in specific circumstances such as identified areas with natural hazards, heritage areas, or sites of significance to Māori. These specific circumstances are known as “qualifying matters”.
The proposed plan change aims to improve housing supply and affordability and means fewer restrictions on development. While the significant parts of the plan change are mandated by the legislation, there are some factors that the public can influence.
Some parts of Proposed Plan Change 56 take immediate legal effect from 18 August 2022. Read the Summary of Immediate Legal Effect Information (PDF 151 KB) which provides guidance for plan users on which parts of the Proposed Plan Change take immediate legal effect.
Full Hutt City consultation documents and processes including how to make a submission.
At the Climate Change Response meeting recently this presentation gave some insights into the impacts for Eastern Bays.
The Hutt City Council, represented by Kate pascall and Chris Page of the Hutt City Council Policy Planning Team discuss how climate change and sea level rise are being considered in developing Hutt City’s District Plan.