Independent Hearings Panel Report is Coming Up!

This Friday Christchurch's Independent Hearings Panel will release their proposed district plan for the city. It is hard to understate the importance of this document, influencing housing abundance and affordability, rates, transport, and prosperity for years to come.

The panel is intended to be a voice of reason, to follow the law, to listen to all submissions, request legal and planning advice and find compromises between everyone that will deliver on the best outcomes for the city.

Releasing the report marks one of the final stages in the process. Councillors will then be able to propose and vote for amendments, and then vote to have the plan sent off to Housing Minister Chris Bishop for approval. The council has a deadline of the 10th of September to have it sent away.

Wellington is a few months ahead of us in the process. Although historically the panels have been a force for good, their IHP proposal was a big step back from what even their council proposed. After the widely publicized “War for Wellington”, the council did make a series of amendments which added a large amount of capacity back in, and Bishop approved almost all of it.

We are looking forward to seeing what our panel has proposed. This week we will have a few posts of what we’re looking out for.