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Download the Landscape Assessment Report and Maps BackgroundThe Central Otago district is experiencing a strong period of growth. Owing to the subsequent subdivision of rural land the need has arisen to determine the effects on landscape values and rural amenity through a comprehensive rural study. The outcome of the study will be a proposed range of methods for subdivision and building within the district, so that development may continue while still protecting the values that make Central Otago distinctive. The Central Otago District Council has commissioned a team comprising a landscape architect, a resource management planner and a community facilitator to undertake the study. Progress - August 2006Progress on the Rural Study is continuing. Council has received a draft of the landscape assessment from Mary Buckland (Landscape Architect) and a draft of the policies and rules from Mike Garland (Resource Management Planner). Council needs to be sure that any changes to the District Plan that are proposed as a result of the study are not inconsistent with any of the other parts of the District Plan. So at this point Council staff are working through the material and communicating with the consultants who are making the appropriate amendments to ensure that that there is consistency. It is quite time consuming but important to get the detail right at this stage. When it has been finalised the study will be referred to a Council meeting for approval before being released. While it is important to keep this moving, Council would comment that in the mean time the Council’s Hearings Panel are able to make good decisions about subdivision which has been helped by the initiation of Variation 1 last year. Variation 1 is proving to be effective in enabling consideration of those aspects that the community has told us are important through the Rural Study consultation i.e. landscape, rural amenity, rural productivity and controlling the potential effects of reverse sensitivity. The Variation is also enabling a more flexible approach to subdivision with respect to lot sizes. Council anticipates that the work will be finalised and referred to the Council meeting in October this year. Progress - January 2008Rural Study: Consultation Landscape Assessment Report and MapsIn mid 2005 the Central Otago District Council initiated a Rural Study to address rural development issues, in particular relating to subdivision and building, and the resulting effects of such development on landscape, rural amenity, productive capacity of land and reverse sensitivity. The Council appointed Landscape Architects firm LA4 Limited to prepare a landscape assessment of the district. Consultation was undertaken with the community, government agencies and interest groups during this period by way of meetings throughout the district and via feedback questionnaires. A Landscape Assessment Report and Landscape Assessment Maps which rate rural land in the Central Otago District in terms of landscape sensitivity and which identify Significant Landscape Features have now been produced. The Council invited community members to give feedback to the Landscape Assessment Report and Landscape Assessment Maps during January/February 2008. A full copy of the Landscape Assessment Report and Landscape Assessment Maps can be downloaded by selecting on the Rural Study Report links further down this page.
The TeamThe team leader is Mary Buckland from LA4 Landscape Architects. With over 30 years experience in all aspects of landscape planning and design, Mary is one of New Zealand's most experienced landscape architects and has been involved in an extensive number of landscape assessment projects throughout New Zealand. Mary will lead the team and undertake the landscape assessment of the rural land. The person responsible for the planning component of the study is Mike Garland from Robson and Garland. Mike is a Resource Management Consultant with experience in producing objectives, policies and rules for Resource Management Plans, and undertaking public consultation on such issues as plan changes and the variations necessary to include appropriate measures in district plans. He will assist Ian with the consultation process and will undertake the preparation of a policy framework for the integrated management of the effects of rural subdivision, development, and building in the district and provide an appropriate interface with the Council’s District Plan. Ian Brown from Ian Brown Consulting will act as facilitator throughout the process. Ian has had 30 years experience in local government in the fields of sustainable land and natural resource management. He has worked with a range of land use operations including forestry, sheep, beef, dairying arable and horticulture. He has used facilitation and negotiation skills to encourage and foster community participation in resource management issues. Keeping yourself informedThis website will be regularly updated as the rural study progresses. If you would like to receive updated information about the progress of the rural study please provide your email or postal address to Ian Brown at ian@ibconsulting.co.nz or Sue de Jong at the Council office in Alexandra (03) 448 6979. Please click on the following links for further details of the Rural Study
Rural Study ReportLatest Rural Study report Dec 2007 (PDF Document - 2Mb) Landscape Assessment Maps These maps can be large in size and not suitable for download unless you have a fast ADSL link to the internet. Map 2.1 (PDF document 2.8Mb) Maps 2.2-2.6 (PDF document 5Mb) Map 2.7 (PDF document 1Mb) Maps 2.8-2.11 (PDF document 4.7Mb) Maps 2.12-2.16 (PDF document 5Mb) Maps 2.17-2.19 (PDF document 3.5Mb) Maps 2.20-3 (PDF Document 4Mb)
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