Commissioners appointed for Plan Changes hearings

Taupō District Council has appointed commissioners to hear submissions on the Plan Changes to the Taupō District Plan (Plan Changes 28-33) proposing new areas of land for industrial growth and to encourage redevelopment and consolidation of the Taupō Town Centre.

The three independent commissioners, who will hear submissions and consider expert evidence on the proposed Plan Changes, are all qualified under the Ministry for the Environment’s “Making Good Decisions” programme. Their combined and complementary experience in planning, environmental law and commercial land use distribution make for an exemplary expert panel.

The chairman, Mr. John Maassen, partner at law firm Cooper Rapley Lawyers since 1991, is nationally recognised as a leading resource management practitioner. Mr. Maassen’s experience in resource management and local government law has seen him act as an advocate in the District Court, Environment Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.

Ian McAlley is a director at McAlley Consulting Group Ltd, a planning, development and project management consultancy. Mr. McAlley has substantial planning experience in developing plan changes and managing major resource consent applications, both as a consultant and in his previous role as Environmental Services Manager at Whangarei District Council.

The final member of the panel, Kathleen Ryan, is a resource management expert who has acted as a hearings commissioner for a number of councils. She has experience assessing economic evidence and has considered plan change and resource consents applications where there are complexities concerning the distribution of retail activities and their effects on town centres.

The proposed changes to the Taupō District Plan are part of the Council’s ongoing implementation of the Taupō Urban Commercial and Industrial Structure Plan. They propose to zone more land near the East Taupō Arterial for industrial uses, manage the ongoing change of activities along Spa Road, encourage retail and office activities to locate in the town centre and make it easier to redevelop properties in the town centre.

Hearings on Plan Changes 28–33 are scheduled to start on 21 May 2012 and are expected to take approximately two weeks.

Copies of the Plan Changes are available on Council’s website, www.taupo.govt.nz, and at Council offices. If you require further information please contact Nick Carroll, Senior Policy Analyst on 07 376 0784 or ncarroll@taupo.govt.nz.