What is Proposed Change 6 (NPS-UD)?
The National Policy Statement-Urban Development (2020) (NPS-UD) introduced requirements for regional councils to amend their Regional Policy Statement to be more responsive to urban development proposals and provide support to intensification of urban areas. Their purpose is to enable additional development capacity, regardless of whether it is planned in existing planning documents, and to contribute to well-functioning urban environments. The NPS-UD also requires local authorities to take into account the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) in planning decisions relating to urban environments.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is implementing these requirements through Change 6 (NPS-UD) to the Bay of Plenty Regional Policy Statement.
What is an ‘urban environment’?
‘Urban environments’ are defined by the NPS-UD. These are urban areas that have or are intended to be part of a housing and labour market of at least 10,000 people.
In the Bay of Plenty, urban environments are greater Tauranga (including Te Puke and Ōmokoroa), Rotorua city and Whakatāne township.
What is the scope of Change 6?
Under the NPS-UD we are required to:
- Take into account Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles
- Provide criteria for assessing private plan changes for un-anticipated or out of sequence urban development proposals for urban environments
- Enable intensification of urban environments
What Change 6 doesn’t do:
It is not a spatial plan and doesn’t identify where (or not) urban development will be located. This is the role of a Future Development Strategy and district or city plans.
It doesn’t zone or provide infrastructure for urban development. This is the role of district/city councils through district plan zoning, and infrastructure planning and funding documents.
National Policy Statement on Urban Development (2020)
More information on the NPS-UD can be found on the Ministry for the Environment's website: National policy statement on urban development.