Key Issues Report of the Porirua City Council - Environmental ...

Inventory of Ecological Sites in Porirua City
7.14 The Inventory of Ecological Sites in Porirua City dated July 2001 (the
Inventory) is a report prepared for Porirua City Council which identifies sites of
ecological significance within the City. The Inventory identifies sites of
ecological significance and provides a ranking of their significance. Sites have
been ranked from 1 (Of greatest ecological significance, and rare or scarce in
Porirua City) to 6 (Not ecologically significant, but may have amenity or other
values) 48 . This document is not viewable on the Council's website but is
publicly available from the Council.
7.15 The sites listed within the Inventory are generally not included in the District
Plan other than in the Recreation and Open Space Zone's. The Inventory is
regularly utilised in the processing of resource consents to identify sites of
potential ecological significance which is taken into account in the processing of
resource consents. Depending on the actual presence of the identified ecosite,
its ecological value and the proximity of the proposed development to the
ecosite usually determines whether a specific ecological impact assessment is
required. Dependent on the effects of the proposal on the ecosite may result in
modifications to the proposal. It is noted that ecosite's within the Inventory
have been identified on the Road Layout Plans and Landscape Plans within
Volume 4: Plan Set of the application material.
Designation Boundary
7.16 The alignment of the designation boundary has the potential to result in some
parcels of land either being severed such as the rear section of 874 Paekakariki
Hill Road. The Rural Zone provisions in the Porirua City District Plan provide
for the creation of allotments down to a minimum size of 5 hectares 49 . Section
106 of the Resource Management Act 1991 identifies the need for the provision
of legal and physical access to each allotment. In making these comments it is
fully acknowledged that this is not an application for subdivision resource
consent and therefore these two provisions do not apply. It is also noted that
there is the potential for the existing access to some properties to be affected by
the proposed NoR's. However the principles of the 5 hectare provision, which
is to contribute towards the long term sustainable management of the rural
resource and Section 106 to ensure individual allotments are accessible is
relevant to TGP.
Conditions
7.17 A key issue should the NoR's be confirmed and/or the Transpower application
be granted is the efficient administration of future management plan approvals
as well as general monitoring of TGP. This is essential in assisting the
management of the effects of TGP should it be approved.
7.18 It is considered that it would be of considerable assistance in the future
administration of the conditions if they were to be drafted in a manner that
either overtly recognises specific mitigation measures that have been identified
as required as needing to be undertaken in the technical reports or undertakings
48 Section 4.9 of the Inventory.
49 Rule D4.1.4(11) of the Porirua City District Plan.
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