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Hill Country Corporation Proposes New Special Character Zone

A new comprehensive Ocean Beach Special Character Zone is proposed by Hill Country Corporation in its private plan change request, recently lodged with the Hastings District Council.

It would provide the long term protection, conservation and management of significant landscape areas, natural areas and areas of cultural value from inappropriate subdivision, use and development.

The Special Character Zone for the whole of the beach would enable a community-based development within a defined portion of the beach, offset by substantial conservation and restoration measures to enhance and reverse the decline of the natural, archaeological and cultural values of the area.

Currently all of the land at the beach is rurally zoned in the operative District Plan.

The proposed zone would protect the areas of highest natural value at the beach and create a “compact, vibrant community” by containing development within a discrete footprint area at the southern end of the zone. This is to avoid the adverse effects associated with sprawl and ribbon development in the future.

Incorporated in the zone is a structure plan which would guide development in a more deliberate manner than conventional zone-based approaches to planning. It provides for eight “sub-zones” including a village centre, three types of residential, rural, rural equestrian, conservation and commercial service zones.

It proposes a “vibrant mixed-use core” in the village sub-zone at the heart of the special character zone. It would comprise higher density residential activity and be supported by retail, office, visitor accommodation and conference activities as well as community and recreational facilities.

The zoning framework would encourage diversity of accommodation opportunity around the village centre to create higher residential densities at the centre of the community to reinforce the village centre role. It also provides a broader opportunity for rental accommodation.

The three residential sub-zones have been arranged to ensure a decrease in residential density away from the proposed village centre and protect coastal values and amenity.

The structure plan is designed to provide for the development of the vibrant mixed-use village centre to service the growing community.

The dwelling yield, over time, would be in the order of approximately 1,000 which supporting expert advice regards as sufficient to maintain a range of community and commercial services.

By minimizing the settlement footprint and allowing higher density residential development around the village centre, and introducing stricter controls over subdivision and development on the residual rural zones, the majority of the beach area would be protected, particularly the areas of high natural value at the northern end of the beach.

The Special Character Zone recognizes the overall development at Ocean Beach would take place over an extended time frame; exceeding the single 10 year life cycle of the operative District Plan. It aims to ensure the integrity of the general planning framework with a set of rules and policies for development to avoid any ad hoc or incremental development taking place in the future.

The aim is to ensure that the residential zones provide a development size sufficient to support local services and community facilities as the community grows.

The Ocean Beach Rural Conservation sub-zone would prohibit residential development and subdivision. The focus would be conservation and eco-tourism activities including restoration activities for the natural environment.

The private plan change is supported by expert reports commissioned by Hill Country Corporation which cover archaeology, landscape, ecology, infrastructural issues, traffic engineering, geotechnical issues, coastal hazards, urban design and social/economic development.


For further information please contact:

Sue Wood
Hill Country Corporation spokesperson

PH: 04 3844 572
M: 0274 490 313