The Plan Change 27 introduces a new rule frameworks to the Tauranga City Plan to manage the effects of flooding from intense rainfall on people, properties and infrastructure. While we support the Council’s overarching intent to manage the effects of flooding from intense rainfall, there are some fundamental issues with the proposal that have to be addressed, particularly around accuracy of the data and modelling.
More guidance should also be provided around implications of the Plan Change for property owners and developers to get a true picture of what the proposed Plan Change means in practice. Given the sensitive nature of this plan change and the careful transitional process that should be applied, we recommend the Council defer the Plan Change to coincide with the Tauranga City Council’s Long-term Plan 2021-31 review.