Commission starts CHB district plan hearing

Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker handing over a kete to commission chairman Robert Schofield as a symbol of the passing of responsibility to the commissioners. Photo / supplied

Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker handing over a kete to commission chairman Robert Schofield as a symbol of the passing of responsibility to the commissioners.

The next phase in the development of the new district plan for Central Hawke's Bay is underway, with independent commissioners being welcomed to the district by local mana whenua.

Under the Resource Management Act 1991, all councils are required to have a district plan.

With CHB's district plan nearly 20 years old, the review was a key tool prioritised during the development of Project Thrive in 2017.

The proposed district plan was developed from a draft district plan. After formal notification of the plan in May, submissions have since been received, a call for further submissions sought, and the first of seven topic hearings of the submissions by commissioners started this week.

Central Hawke's Bay District Council has appointed a panel of six commissioners to hear the submissions, three experienced independent commissioners and three Central Hawke's Bay councillor commissioners as required under the Resource Management Act 1991. Local mana whenua welcomed the independent commissioners to the district at a mihi whakatau held on Monday, with the handing over of a kete to commission chairman Robert Schofield by Mayor Alex Walker, as a symbol of the passing of responsibility to the commissioners.

The first topics to be heard are the natural and coastal environment. The remaining five topic groups are rural environment; tangata whenua and historic heritage; hazards and risks, and subdivisions; miscellaneous, introduction, and rezoning; energy, infrastructure, and transport.

It is expected all hearings will be held by the end of September. Reporting officers will prepare reports on the submissions and the commissioners' recommendations, to be presented to council with the proposed district plan, likely to be in early 2023.

The hearings will be public, but only those who have made submissions will be able to speak. Under the red traffic light setting, links to enable the public to watch online can be found on the council's website by searching "district plan".

The full suite of information on the proposed district plan, including the hearing topics and dates (as they become available), the commissioners, and information for submitters, is available on the council's website.