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Policies
A. The efficient provision and development of all future services and infrastructure within the District shall be encouraged.
B. The roading hierarchy shall be used as a factor in determining the acceptability of activities (including subdivision) which affect traffic flows or the road resource; and the standards of access required.
C. The formation, construction and maintenance of any transport, communications or other service facilities should be carried out in a manner which maintains environmental quality.
D. Requirements for infrastructure and services will be on a user pays basis, where such users can be identified.
E. Reduction in the quantities of waste produced in Westland and energy efficiency shall be encouraged in conjunction with the Regional Council, individual communities and landowners.
F. The efficient provision of refuse disposal facilities will be encouraged.
G. To ensure that signs do not adversely affect traffic safety by confusing, distracting, or obstructing the views of motorists or pedestrians, or by obstructing roads or footpaths, particularly in proximity to intersections.
H. To avoid a proliferation of signs which have the potential to result in cumulative adverse effects on traffic safety.
a. All existing service and infrastructure facilities shall be recognised as permitted activities.
b. All dwellings shall be required to be serviced with a potable water supply and sewage disposal facilities which do not give rise to adverse effects.
c. A roading hierarchy shall be established in conjunction with Transit NZ which recognises the importance of the transport network in maintaining the welfare and viability of communities and will help determine the appropriateness of land use activities and standards of access.
d. Rules and standards have been developed for signs and other activities which could adversely affect the safety and efficiency of roads.
e. Applications for resource consent in relation to land adjacent to a state highway which are of interest to Transit New Zealand shall be referred to Transit New Zealand for comment in particular in relation to their "Highway Planning under the Resource Management Act 1991" document.
f. The Council will review its own waste management policies and landfill operation to emphasise waste reduction, refuse and recycling and will support community initiatives to reduce, reuse and recycle waste, cleaner production technologies off-street.
g. Financial contributions shall be taken from subdivision and other activities where they are required and improve existing services and infrastructure, including recreational facilities.
h. Provision of new and upgraded recreational facilities will be a shared cost between developers, ratepayers, and the local community.
i. Land use activities shall be required to make sufficient provision for parking, manoeuvring and loading.
Explanation / Reasons
Existing servicing and infrastructure facilities represent a significant physical resource which should be recognised. Examples include roads, sewerage, electricity supply facilities, airports, water pipes and communication cables.
Infrastructure and services make a significant contribution to the health and safety of individuals and the whole community. Services are continually being upgraded and maintained. Provided maintenance activities do not result in adverse effects they shall be permitted in recognition of the need to maintain the resource to an appropriate standard. Activities which could adversely affect infrastructure and service resources will be controlled to protect the value of the resource.
The access section contains rules designed to protect the safe and efficient functioning of the state highways in particular, as well as other roads in the District. This recognises the roading hierarchy. For access to state highways a “trigger level” is used to require that varying levels of control are applied to accesses depending upon their level of generation and the volumes of traffic on the state highway or section of state highway they have access to.
The cost of replacing infrastructure resources, is significant. For example one kilometre of highway is estimated to cost one million dollars. Therefore any extension of services must be in a way which represents the most efficient and effective use of available resources. Waste disposal facilities are also expensive to replace. Waste disposal sites, both for solid waste and effluent need to be managed and sited so as to avoid adverse environmental effects. The demand for solid waste disposal can be reduced through waste minimisation.
The policies in this section make allowance for new infrastructure and service developments in urban settlements. They assume that when providing services both the Council and other organisations are treated equally in terms of meeting "bottom-line" environmental standards.
Signs have the potential to distract drivers and obscure visibility thereby impacting on the safe and efficient functioning of the road network. Examples of potentially confusing and distracting signs are flashing signs, moving signs, and red, green or amber colours close to controlled intersections, signs that have inadequate lettering size and poor legibility and the visual clutter of signs. The District Plan particularly seeks to minimize driver distraction on the state highway which carries high volumes of traffic at high speeds. In this environment the Plan controls not only the amount of signage, but also the location and design of signage.
Anticipated Environmental Outcomes
Implementation of the above policies and parent objectives are expected to achieve the following outcomes:
l Protection of public health and amenities and increasing awareness of waste management issues.
ll Services and infrastructure facilities sited, constructed and maintained in an unobtrusive, and inoffensive manner, minimising landscape and visual impacts.
lll Development concentrated in areas where services can be provided most efficiently and with least environmental cost.
lV A reduction in the volumes of waste entering the District’s landfills.
