Kopu-Thames structure plan open day planned

Interested parties will be able to see what Thames-Coromandel District Council is proposing for the area between Kopu and Thames when an open day is held in Thames on Tuesday, March 30.

The open day is open to anyone with an interest in the Draft Kopu-Thames Structure Plan, which has just been put out for public consultation. Invitations to attend the open day have just been mailed to all known stakeholders, but anyone interested can register to attend the open day by emailing the District Plan Co-ordinator Lisa Madgwick at lisa.madgwick@tcdc.govt.nz by Friday March 26, 2010.

The open day will be held at Thames Civic Centre between 3 pm and 7 pm on March 30 with specialised staff, along with staff from Beca at the Open Day to help explain any issues or recommendations made in the draft plan.

Council will also be consulting specifically with other key parties to listen to their views including the NZ Transport Agency, Environment Waikato, and the Department of Conservation. Council will also consult with Ngati Maru Runanga.

Copies of a draft structure plan and the underlying technical reports have been posted on Council's website at http://www.tcdc.govt.nz/Consultation/Kopu-to-Thames-Structure-Plan---Open-Day/ and hard copies can be requested by phoning or emailing Lisa Madgwick.

The feedback from landowners and others about future land use in Kopu/Thames will be considered by Council's Policy and Planning Committee later this year.

Following consideration of the feedback from consultation, and any changes that result from this, the committee will review the updated Kopu to Thames Structure Plan. It is hoped the committee will then adopt the updated Kopu to Thames Structure Plan and release it as a final structure plan.

Regard will then be given to the final Kopu to Thames Structure Plan as another matter to be considered when Council makes decisions on applications for resource consents or considers future land use.

The fourth and final stage of the project will be a plan change to include the final Kopu to Thames Structure Plan as part of the District Plan. This is a separate phase which will go through a statutory process involving public notification for submissions before any decision is made on including the structure plan in the District Plan.