By Anna Bensemann, Senior Planner, Baseline Group Marlborough | Jun 26, 2022
The expansion of our towns and cities, and our ever-growing obsession with rural lifestyle blocks has been threatening the viability of our productive soils for many decades. The Resource Management Act includes some tools for protecting this land from development, but these tools are often given lip service in light of the pressures to develop, leading to the slow and steady degradation of our key versatile soils.
On the other hand, individual land owners invest time and money into their land, sometimes across multiple generations. With variable economic times, some landowners need the ability to subdivide and sell to the market land that is marginal, or no longer required. Such ability facilitates innovation and technological advancement on the balance of many properties, or simply enables a happy retirement.
This balance is being tested by the proposed National Policy Statement (NPS) relating to Class 1, 2 and 3 land and possibly other productive vineyard lands. The proposal includes regulations as to the expansion of urban activities onto this land, and the subdivision or further fragment land that is considered to be highly productive.
The implications of this are that private land containing highly valuable soils, which make up 14% of New Zealand, will have an additional matter that will need to be considered at the time of any subdivision or development. As seen with the NPS on freshwater, these documents carry a significant amount of weight and should not be taken lightly. The NPS on freshwater has seen regional councils limiting how much water is available for irrigation and making the resource consents process more complicated, with layers of additional reporting and investigations into the effects of water takes and discharges on water bodies.
The NPS for highly productive soils appears on the face of it to be ensuring we have a farming industry secured into the future, but like any government lead policy the devil will be in the detail. The real issues will arise when the policy is implemented by local government on a case by case basis. Policies that are written for the big picture often overlook the site specific unique features or anomalies that mean private landowners should be able to further develop their Class 1, 2 or 3 lands.
Government received around 250 submissions on the draft NPS, and decisions on submissions are due soon after 22 July 2022. We will see the full extent of the outcome of this process in due course as rural landowners look to develop their land.
Articles you might be interested in
- RMA changes are coming, are you ready?
- Is the RMA really the problem?
- Our History - How We All Play a Part in its Protection
- Risks to farmland in the planning framework
- Proposed Selwyn District Plan - What next?
- What to do when you inherit land
- A Practical Guide for District Plan Reviews
- Have your say on Development Projects
- The Role of Planning in the Climate Change - Discussion for Agriculture
- But that’s the way we have always done it!
- Game changers for housing under the RMA
- Why we have complicated septic tank disposal rules
- How might Development Contributions affect you?
- Selwyn District Council Changes Urban Allotment Sizes
- The National Policy Statement for Natural Hazard Decision-Making and its effects on Resource Consents
- Make Your Additional Land Profitable Under the Selwyn Proposed Plan
- Navigating New Opportunities: The Importance of Land Development Planning in 2024
- Balancing Common Sense and Legal Process under the RMA: Protecting Communities and the Environment
- Highly Productive Soils – Big Picture Thinking vs Private Landowners Needs
- Burning crop stubble on your property?
- Time's up on the RMA
- What does a professional planner do?
- Buildings under exemptions may still need resource consent
- Outstanding Natural Features and Landscapes - effect on farming
- The rise or fall of rural lifestyle blocks in the Selwyn District?
- Crime Prevention Through Environment Design (CPTED)
- Housing Intensification – Not for Everyone Says CCC
- New Indigenous Biodiversity Legislation Mandates Significant Natural Area Identification
- Indigenous Biodiversity: what does it mean for a farmer?
- Councils are Increasing Residential Density, but why, who does it benefit?
- Minimum Car Parking Requirements to be Chopped
- Good District Plan provisions save time and money
- With increasing density, good design matters
- Housing Growth continues in Selwyn with Legislative Support
- State highways, noise and reverse sensitivity: what’s the buzz?
- Proposed Selwyn District Plan Update
- Boundary disputes – What are they and how can you resolve them?
- The dream of subdividing your land
- Confused by Environmental Legislation? You are Not Alone.
- Cross lease titles - an overview
- Negotiating with Neighbours Under the RMA
- Spotlight on District Plan Provisions
- Who Pays for Infrastructure in Greenfield Land Development?
- Historic Heritage Challenges for Landowners
- The Great Forestry Debate
- Commercial Activity in a Rural Zone – What’s the Harm?
- Land Development opportunities and times of change
- Planning Rules can Affect Property Value
- How to navigate Rural Land Development Under the National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Soils
- Crunch Time For New Freshwater Legislation
- Who Shapes our Planning Rules?
- How Tree Canopies Transform Neighbourhoods and Enhance Lives
- The costs of subdividing hitting Selwyn | development contributions
- How lizards might affect your new development
- What does an activity status mean for your land development?
- Hazardous activities, land contamination and resource consent applications
- Wild Weather and Resource Consent Requirements
- Tiny Home Revolution May Not Save Costs
- A recent Baseline Group project was recognised at the 2022 Canterbury Architecture Awards
- Flood Management | Changes in Selwyn
- Importance of Sediment Management in Land Development Projects: Simple Techniques for Effective Sediment Runoff Control
- The importance of knowing your boundaries
- Is it a Wetland or Not?
- Rivers, Lakes and Coastline, Public Space for All
- Changes to Resource Management Planning Signalled in Proposed Legislation
- What does The Selwyn District Plan (appeals version) mean for the planning process and consent?
- Rural allotment sizes set to double in West Selwyn
- Planning Permissions – Resource Consent or Plan Change?
- Your Rights as an Affected Neighbour: Navigating Development Under the RMA
- The Role of Planning in Land and Property Development
- Minimum car parking requirements to be chopped
- Managing Cultural Heritage Sites
- Rural Allotment Sizes set to Double
- Time matters – With Resource Consent
- Flood Management – An Update
- Change isn't coming, it's here!
- Fundamental Culture Shift in New Zealand Planning Legislation.
- Planning land use to be resilient to natural hazards
- Managing Wastewater in Rural Canterbury: A Guide for Property Owners
- District Plan in Selwyn – How will it Affect You?
- The impact of consent notices when purchasing land