Following two years of consultation, 1500 submissions and 34 days of hearings, the 15-year-old Thames-Coromandel District Plan has now been updated.

Issues addressed in the new version include mining, area rezoning, outstanding natural features and landscapes and coastal erosion lines, and how land will be managed, used and sub-divided.

The District Plan Hearings Panel consisted of two independent commissioners, Mark Farnsworth and Ian Munro, and elected member councillor Tony Fox.

When making decisions they took into account all submissions which were received from a variety of stakeholders including property owners, central government organisations, iwi, ratepayer groups.

The panel then listened to staff recommendations and received sign-off from the Thames-Coromandel District Council.

'We've worked hard to balance council's approach to reduce red tape in many areas to make it easier for people to develop their lives and businesses, and grow the Coromandel's economy, while still protecting the areas with special values,” says the panel.

Another issue addressed was whether or not resource consent should be required for people who commercially hire out their holiday homes short-term to more than six people – which drew a lot of attention during the submission process.

'Many bach and holiday home owners were concerned about needing resource consents when they commercialised their holiday homes and advertised them as commercial accommodation,” explains the panel.

'On the other hand, more formal accommodation providers, such as motels and backpackers, said they wanted a level playing field with other commercial accommodation providers such as holiday home rentals, bed and breakfast, and small lodges.”

But the panel heard no compelling evidence from either side to change this standard for visitor accommodation in the Plan.

'So we're sticking with what was in the previous District Plan, which allows for a maximum of six paying guests per property with parking and noise standards to be met,” says the panel.

Council adopted the District Plan Hearings Panel's recommendations and has appointed a District Plan Appeals Committee to provide guidance and direction over any appeals to the Decisions Version of the new District Plan.

Anyone who made a submission now has 30 working days from April 29 to appeal council's decision to the Environment Court.

People who have not been part of the process to date, as a submitter or further submitter, cannot appeal the decisions.

To download an information kit click here or to read the full list of decisions visit the Thames-Coromandel District Council's District Plan webpage at: www.tcdc.govt.nz/dpd