Proposed Plan Change 1 – Woolston Risk Management Area

A district plan sets out a council’s framework for managing land use, development and subdivision. It determines how areas in the district are zoned for particular types of use – e.g., residential, commercial, industrial and rural – and regulates the types of activities that are allowed to occur there. It defines objectives, policies and rules to address resource management issues, particularly the effects of land use and subdivision, such as noise and traffic.

Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) all councils must have a district plan.

After the 2011 earthquake our ability to make changes to the Christchurch District Plan was limited by the introduction of an Order in Council. However, we have recently had these responsibilities restored and are initiating our first plan change, in consultation with the community.

Proposed Plan Change 1 relates to the Woolston Risk Management Area. 

Much of Woolston is zoned for industrial activities. One of these activities is the storage of bulk fuel (petroleum and LPG products) serving people and businesses throughout Christchurch and Canterbury.  These facilities are an important lifeline for the city in the event of an emergency, such as an earthquake.

At present we have two bulk fuel storage facilities in Chapmans Road, Woolston. Their continued operation and the safety of neighbours is protected by two risk management areas defined in the district plan.

These risk management areas, shown as overlays on district plan maps, are defined areas around the two facilities.

Sensitive activities, such as schools and hospitals, need to be avoided within a risk management area. Other activities not generally expected in industrial zones, such as entertainment and shopping centres, need to be assessed to determine whether they are suitable for this location, considering all the risks.

This information is a brief overview of the proposed change. Please see the actual plan change for more detailed information, at ccc.govt.nz/planchange

• The bulk fuel storage facility operators have prepared new assessments of the risks associated with the sites and changes to the risk management areas are needed. This means that some new properties would be included in the risk management area and some properties previously in a risk management area would no longer be. The areas at risk now overlap, so we propose combining them into a single risk management area known as the Woolston Risk Management Area.
• An existing rule in the district plan that classifies sensitive activities within the risk management areas as a non-complying activity is due to expire on 31 March 2019.  We think the rule is still appropriate and propose keeping it.
• Pre-school facilities are currently permitted in the Industrial General Zone, including in the proposed Woolston Risk Management Area. As a sensitive activity, we think this should be avoided in the risk management area and propose making it non-complying. 
• Under current district plan discretionary and non-complying activities near the bulk fuel storage facilities must prepare their own Quantitative Risk Assessments (QRAs) to support resource consent applications. These help us to assess whether the activity is appropriate in this location from a risk perspective.  An update to the plan is proposed to clarify that new QRAs have been prepared by the facility operators, which can be used to inform resource consent applications instead of requiring new ones.

Hearing

A hearing will be held if submitters indicate they wish to speak on their submission. A hearings panel or a commissioner will consider all submissions and make a recommendation to Council.

Decision

Council will decide whether to approve the proposed plan change and will publicly notify the decision. If the plan change is approved, we will also notify the date the plan change will become operative.

Appeal

Any person who has made a submission has the right to appeal our decision to the Environment Court.

Making the plan change operative

Once any appeals have been heard and decided on, the plan change becomes operative.

Note: The rules proposed in this plan change will have no legal effect until the Council gives public notice of its decision and matters raised in submissions, or the Environment Court makes an order which grants the rule immediate effect (RMA, s86B).

Proposed Rule 4.1.4.1.5 NC2 and the proposed Woolston Risk Management Area overlay shown on amended Planning Map 47A (including the amended Planning Map Legend) now have legal effect, by virtue of Environment Court Decision 54 [PDF, 4.7 MB] issued on 29 March 2019.