Proposed Change 2 to Regional Policy Statement
Released 02 Feb 2010
Waikato Federated Farmers considers that more clarity is required with regards to the policies. The Proposed policies seem to often contradict each other as to where rural residential development is to be encouraged or discouraged.
Proposed Change 2 often directs to cluster rural residential development around existing settlements and towns. This principle has been upheld in the Future Proof document as a way of minimising loss of productive soils to residential uses. This method of clustering may not achieve that aim as many towns and settlements have historically been located on prime soils, and clustering development around these areas will exacerbate the problem. An example of this would be Class 1 soils between Cambridge and Hamilton.
Waikato Federated Farmers considers that rural character and perceived rural amenity are in many cases as a direct result of the productive nature of the rural landscape and are continuously changing as rural practices change. All farming activities have the potential to change the landscape, so to seek protection of the existing rural amenity is to freeze a point in time and halt any further changes in farming and pastoral activity. Proposed Change 2 needs to provide territorial authorities with direction to consider rural landscapes as having economic importance and considering all the four well beings when discussing development and growth.
To download the submission document, please click the link below.
For further information, post your comment below or contact Rhea Dasent via 0800 327 646 or click here.
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