Request to rezone land in Nukuhau moves forward

Taupō District Council has voted to accept a panel’s recommendation to approve a private plan change request to rezone land in Nukuhau.

In 2020, council accepted a private plan change request to rezone 77.79 hectares in Nukuhau from rural environment to a mix of general residential and medium density residential, as well as a neighbourhood shopping centre overlay and areas for stormwater and recreation reserves.

The land identified is to the west of Acacia Bay Road, near the Lakewood Drive area, and north of Poihipi Road, where it joins Wairakei Drive. The request is proposed by three co-operating landowners and will enable the future development of approximately 780 dwellings in an area identified as a future growth area in the Taupō District 2050 Growth Management Strategy.

Public submissions on the proposed changes were received in 2021, with hearings held in November 2021. The Hearings Panel was selected under the Joint Management Agreement between Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board and Taupō District Council. This means that one panel member was selected by Tūwharetoa Maori Trust Board and one by Taupō District Council. The third panel member (and chair) was selected by the first two panel members.

General Manager Policy and Strategy John Ridd said the Hearings Panel recommended council approve the plan change, with some amendments that were made as a result of the hearing process.

“The key changes to the plan include heightening the council’s discretion when granting a resource consent for the subdivision; ensuring the management of traffic impacts of the subdivision; the inclusion of a cultural values assessment for the site; the introduction of minimum and maximum lot sizes; additional stormwater management; and provisions around crime prevention and ecology.

“In line with the panel’s recommendations, we will also be looking to bring forward our investigation into the control gates bridge to next year as part of our Annual Plan process. Alongside this, it’s also important to highlight that no development within the plan change area can progress until an appropriate solution to dealing with increased wastewater is addressed,” he said.

With council accepting the panel’s decision on this plan change, this decision will now be notified to the public. Any person who made a submission on Plan Change 37 may appeal the decision on their submission to the Environment Court. In accordance with Clause 14 of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991, appeals must be in the prescribed form and lodged with the Environment Court within 30 working days from Friday, 4 March 2022.

For more information on the Hearings Panel findings and the Plan Change, please head to taupo.govt.nz/nukuhauplanchange.