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Lower Hutt District Plan Review

We're reviewing and updating our district plan.

We’re in the early stages of reviewing and updating our district plan – the city’s main document for managing land use and development. It's a complex job and we’re expecting it will take up to four years before the new district plan becomes operative.

Over the next few months, we'll give you more information about the review. While there will be opportunities for formal submissions during the review, we'll also be asking you what you want for your city and what’s important to you about how Lower Hutt develops.

Have your say

The first round of engagement has started. We're keen to get your ideas, concerns and suggestions and hear what’s important to you about how our city develops over the next 30 years or so.

You can share your views and ideas and fill out the surveys on Have Your Say.

What is the district plan?

The district plan affects the lives of every resident in many ways, including:

How Lower Hutt will look, feel and operate in the decades ahead
How we care for the environment and protect our natural and historic heritage
Housing availability and affordability
How we manage the effects of natural hazards
Whether you can build a second house or tiny home on your land, what your neighbours can do on their land, and whether a business can set up next door.

The new district plan

The new district plan will reflect council’s vision of making Lower Hutt a city where all people can thrive. The review provides an opportunity to take a fresh look at how we want our growing city to evolve, how we manage development and address environmental issues, while ensuring economic health and wellbeing.

Council believes active and meaningful engagement with the public and stakeholders is crucial to developing a new district plan that will be endorsed by the community, and one that truly takes into account the unique needs of the city’s people, its land and resources. Council is taking a partnership approach with mana whenua throughout the review to ensure their views and aspirations are fully considered.

The current district plan

Lower Hutt’s district plan became operative in 2003. The Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) requires councils to review their district plans every 10 years. There has been a rolling review of Hutt City Council’s district plan, but around half of its chapters are yet to be reviewed.

What does the review cover?

The review will cover parts of the District Plan and involves a wide range of issues - here are the key areas:

	Urban form and residential development - how we address the housing crisis.
	Natural Hazard Risk - how we design a city that will cope with rising sea levels, extreme weather events and earthquakes.
	Historic and cultural heritage - how we preserve our past.
	Natural Environment and Landscape - we need to take stock of how we identify and protect our indigenous biodiversity, landscapes and coastline.
	Business and Commercial Development - we need to make room for population growth, but we also need space for businesses to develop and provide jobs.

For a full list of issues to be covered, see the District Plan.

Review timeline

Phase 1 2020 to late-2021

Council undertakes research, evaluates current district plan
Key topics – historic and cultural heritage, urban form and residential development, natural hazards and the natural environment
Council begins extensive discussions with the community, mana whenua and stakeholders seeking their thoughts, ideas and concerns on issues covered by the district plan
Development of new draft district plan

Phase 2 Early 2022 to Mid-2022

Draft district plan released and public consultation on the draft begins (subject to the outcomes of resource management legislation reforms)
Review feedback from public and stakeholders
Finalise proposed district plan