Part 1 - Palmerston North City Council

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5.2 Palmerston North City Council
Due to the erosion in the ANZAC Cliff area the river has moved beyond the river channel as defined in the
Palmerston North City District Plan (e.g. Water Recreation Zone and Flood Protection Zone) and now also
runs through parts of an unformed road, the Residential Zone and the Conservation and Amenity Zone as
defined in the Plan. Accordingly the proposed works will also take place within these zones, although they
will be within the current river bed. The location of the proposed works in relation to the Palmerston North
City zoning can be seen on Figure C contained within Appendix A attached to this report.
5.2.1 The Palmerston North City District Plan
The proposed works will take place within several zones as defined in the Palmerston North City District
Plan (the District Plan) as follows:
Water Recreation Zone
Flood Protection Zone
Conservation and Amenity Zone
Residential Zone
In addition to the above zones, the works will also take place within the boundaries of an unformed road.
Rule 24.3.1 of the Plan requires that all roads, whether constructed or not, shall be given an underlying
zoning of the adjoining property. Therefore the unformed road will assume the zoning of the adjacent
properties and in this instance will include all of the abovementioned zones.
Water Recreation Zone
The Water Recreation Zone has been established to cover the fresh water surface areas of the Manawatu
River, and other rivers, located within the Palmerston North City boundary and is focussed on permitting
recreational activities while controlling noise from such activities. The rules permit water related recreation
activities and associated activities and minor temporary military training activities with all other activities
deemed to be Discretionary Activities under Rule 15.6.6.1.
However, under the explanation in Section 15.6.1 Objectives and Policies, the following is stated:
Activities occurring on the riverbeds, or within the waterbody, are the responsibility of the Manawatu‐
Wanganui Regional Council and are not addressed in this District Plan. Activities which may disturb
riverbeds in any way require a consent from the Manawatu‐Wanganui Regional Council.
This statement provides a clear message that the District Plan does not address activities that take place in
or on a river bed or within a waterbody. It is considered that the proposed works are works that will take
place in and on the bed of the river as defined in the Act and are therefore a Regional Council matter and
not of concerns to the Territorial Authority.
Correspondence with the PNCC Senior Planner regarding this issue established that the PNCC considers that
a resource consent from it is required, especially in respect of the Conservation and Amenity Zone and the
Residential Zone.
It is considered that resource consent from the PNCC is not required for the works within the Water
Recreation Zone, however, if determined otherwise, sufficient information is provided within this
assessment of environmental effects to enable a full assessment of the activities to determine consent.
For the avoidance of any doubt a land use consent is sought, if required, under Rule 15.6.6.1 for the
construction, use and maintenance of the flood and erosion control structures and any associated
structures, as a Discretionary Activity.
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