Curtis Street Decision Won't be Appealed

Wellington City Council's Strategy and Policy Committee today agreed not to appeal last month's High Court judgment on the process followed by the Council to notify people affected by the rezoning of a 1ha site in Curtis Street, Northland.

The committee also agreed in principle to initiate a new District Plan Change to rezone the site - from Outer Residential and Open Space B to Business 2.

The committee debated the issues and implications of the High Court decision in a 'public-excluded' session so legally-privileged information could be discussed.

It agreed, however, to release publicly its decisions and an officer's report - withholding the legally-privileged information.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says the committee's decisions "highlight the importance of how the Council communicates planning information to potentially affected communities. District Plan Change 73 was a significant Plan Change and we accept that the information we provided about this site may not have been sufficiently clear.

"It is important for the Council to help residents know about and understand the specific implications of District Plan changes for them - and this is something we will focus on when we do future Plan Changes."
The committee also agreed that approaches to the Ministry for the Environment and Local Government NZ should be made to improve the clarity of the High Court decision and its implications for the Resource Management Act.

The committee will be considering a further report in August on the proposed new Plan Change relating to the Curtis Street site.