What Are Plan Changes, Private Plan Changes and Amendments

Plan Changes

A plan change is a change to a District Plan initiated by the Council, the Government, or a private party. This is a public process requiring research, evaluation and consultation. Examples of possible plan changes include:

• Rezoning of land.
• Addition of a building to the schedule of heritage buildings.
• Amendments to rules.
• Implementing Government directions.

Visit the Quality Planning Website for further information regarding Plan Changes.

Private Plan Changes

Anyone can seek changes to the Nelson Resource Management Plan (NRMP) through a private plan change under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).

Although similar to other plan changes, requests for private plan changes allow for anyone to seek changes to the NRMP and are not initiated by the Council.

Private parties can request changes to existing provisions or introduce new provisions of the NRMP, such as re-zoning land or changing rules.

Visit the Quality Planning Website for further information regarding the Private Plan Change process.

Nelson City Council Private Plan Change Guidelines (including costs) - link to pdf

Nelson City Council Application form to apply for a Private Plan Change to the NRMP. - link to form

Amendments

Council periodically issues amended NRMP text and maps that result from the various stages of the plan change process, from alterations to designations, or from minor corrections. The RMA sets out when and how we can make those changes

Clause 20A (Correction of operative policy statement or plan)

• A local authority may amend, without using the process in this schedule, an operative policy statement or plan to correct any minor errors.

Clause 16 (Amendment of proposed policy statement of plan)

1. A local authority must, without using the process in this schedule, make an amendment to its proposed policy statement or plan that is required by section 55(2) or by a direction of the Environment Court under section 293.
2. A local authority may make an amendment, without using the process in this schedule, to its proposed policy statement or plan to alter any information, where such an alteration is of minor effect, or may correct any minor errors.

Clause 16A (Variation of proposed policy statement or plan)

1. A local authority may initiate variations (being alterations other than those under clause 16 to a proposed policy statement or plan, or to a change, at any time before the approval of the policy statement or plan.
2. The provisions of this schedule, with all necessary modifications, shall apply to every variation as if it were a change.