Western Bay of Plenty District Council is making it easier for people to navigate the District Plan with the launch of a user-friendly ePlan.
The ePlan is an interactive electronic version of the District Plan. It aims to make it easier to find information relevant to your property and to have your say on changes to the District Plan.
Council’s District Plan Review Project Manager, Natalie Rutland says the ePlan is a more effective way for people to get the information they need from the District Plan in the Western Bay District.
Council’s ePlan design is similar to a number of other councils throughout New Zealand, which will make it easier for customers who interact with a number of different council plans.
“The District Plan is one of the most searched documents on Council’s website. Making the District Plan more accessible and easier to use aligns with Council’s goal of improving digital services for our customers,” says Natalie.
“We believe this ePlan format is much easier to find what you’re looking for quickly, and is a positive step toward simplifying the regulatory space for our community.”
Features of the ePlan include searching for a specific property and finding the relevant District Plan features and associated rules for it; the ability to refer to other related documents; or search and filter for key words and phrases, making it easier to find any specific information you’re looking for.
Moving to an ePlan also puts Council in a better position to manage plan change processes and meet the Ministry for the Environment requirements for all councils to have an online interactive ePlan by 2024.
“As we look to start a District Plan review process later this year an ePlan will be a useful tool to help with this. A District Plan review process happens every 10 years and involves taking a complete look at how we manage land use and development across the District.
“The District Plan review process will involve a lot of community engagement and consultation over the coming years.”
To learn more about the ePlan, go to www.westernbay.govt.nz/eplan
For any questions or to learn more about these changes, email customer.service@westernbay.govt.nz or call 0800 926 732.
