Plan Changes

This page contains information about the Manawatu District Plan - Council initiated and private plan changes. A plan change involves changes to an Operative District Plan. Council can initiate a plan change or an individual can request a private plan change.

The plan change process

An outline of how the plan change process works is as follows:

1. The council publicly notifies the plan change by putting a notice in the newspaper, on the council website and/or by sending directly affected parties information in the mail. Members of the public are then able to make a written submission to the council supporting or opposing the proposed plan change.
2. The council prepares a summary of all submissions received and makes them publicly available on this page. Members of the public can then make further submissions that either supports or oppose an original submission.
3. If any submitter asks to be heard in support of their written submission, the council holds a hearing to consider the submissions and hear any evidence that supports them.
4. Council then makes a decision on submissions and evidence presented at the hearing, informs the submitters of the outcome in a letter and in a public notice in the newspaper.
5. Appeals to the decisions can be lodged with the Environment Court within 30 working days. The proposed plan change becomes fully operative after the council has made its decision and all appeals, if there are any, have been resolved.