An important part of the process to create the new Tasman Environment Plan is identifying the district’s special places and giving them extra protection to help preserve the uniqueness of the environment, the area’s history, or provide people with access to the outdoors.

The “protection of outstanding natural features and landscapes from inappropriate subdivision, use, and development” is a matter of national importance in the Resource Management Act 1991.

Last year, we began the process of working with landowners and our communities to make sure the boundaries of our Outstanding Natural Landscapes (ONL) and Outstanding Natural Features (ONF) are in the right place. We also started asking if the future protective controls (rules) on activities are realistic and will work with landowners’ future aspirations.

We have identified and mapped ONL and ONF through a district-wide landscape assessment and a draft Landscape Study was released to the public in March 2021. This contains maps of areas identified, and an analysis of values that make areas outstanding. In response to feedback received on the draft study, around 100 changes were made to mapped ONL and ONF boundaries. Read more about that work here.

Concept rules have been developed that aim to protect the values and attributes that make these areas outstanding. These concept rules follow.

Earthworks, quarrying and mining

Threat identified in the Landscape Study: Large-scale earthworks, including infilling, reclamation, quarrying and mining.

Landowner and public feedback to date:

• Mining/quarrying and large-scale earthworks is inappropriate.
• Allow for some change where effects can be controlled (e.g. small-scale farm quarries for use on that site).

Activities that are appropriate and are unlikely to adversely affect identified values:

• Maintenance and repair of existing tracks / roads, fencing, permitted tree planting and earthworks under permitted or consented buildings.
• New roads / tracks limited in scale.
• Farm related earthworks limited in scale.
• Farm quarries limited in scale.
• Provision for existing large-scale quarrying to continue operating.

Activities that may not be appropriate, may have adverse effects on identified values and will require resource consent:

• Earthworks in places of significance to Māori.
• Earthworks exceeding specified scale for permitted activities.
• Earthworks within 100m of MHWS¹.
• Earthworks on ridgelines.
• All other quarrying and mining.

1. MHWS = Mean High Water Spring describes the highest level that spring tides reach over a long-term average. For coastal planning, MHWS sets the dividing line between the land and sea.

Buildings and structures

Threat identified in the Landscape Study: Inappropriate built development (as a consequence of its location, scale and/or design).

Landowner and public feedback to date:

• Want bespoke rules for different ONL areas to reflect their ability to absorb change (or not) based on their current character e.g. open pastural land vs enclosed bush clad areas.
• Need to control large visually prominent buildings e.g. on ridgelines or with bright colours.
• Agreement with the concept of clustering new development close to existing modification e.g. new buildings adjacent to farm homesteads.

Activities that are appropriate and are unlikely to adversely affect identified values:

• Post and wire fences.
• Small scale farm buildings on ridgelines e.g. water tanks.
• New dwellings, farm buildings or visitor accommodation within a cluster, subject to standards ².
• New dwellings, farm buildings or visitor accommodation, subject to standards. Clustering approach to be applied to some ONL areas e.g. North West Coast³.
• Public amenity buildings and ancillary structures, subject to standards.

Activities that may not be appropriate, may have adverse effects on identified values and will require resource consent:

• Any other buildings on ridgelines.
• Buildings not meeting specified standards.

Plantation forestry

Threat identified in the Landscape Study: Production forestry.

Landowner and public feedback to date: New exotic plantation forestry (afforestation) is inappropriate.

Activities that are appropriate and are unlikely to adversely affect identified values:

• Existing plantation forestry continues under NES-PF⁴
• Selective felling where covered by MPI provisions.

Activities that may not be appropriate, may have adverse effects on identified values and will require resource consent: New plantation forestry (afforestation) – apply different rules depending on the mix of exotic/native planting.

2. Appropriate standards would apply to building heights, maximum footprints or site coverage, separation from site boundaries, etc.

3. More enabling rules where new buildings are clustered close to existing buildings.

4. National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry.

Earthworks, quarrying and mining

Threat identified in the Landscape Study: Large-scale earthworks, including infilling, reclamation, quarrying and mining.

Landowner and public feedback to date: These activities will have the greatest potential for impact on ONF areas that are geologically based e.g. cave systems.

Activities that are appropriate and are unlikely to adversely affect identified values: Maintenance and repair of existing tracks / roads, and fencing, subject to standards.

Activities that may not be appropriate, may have adverse effects on identified values and will require resource consent: Earthworks, quarrying and mining. Also, any earthworks in places of significance to Māori.

Buildings and structures

Threat identified in the Landscape Study: Inappropriate built development (as a consequence of its location, scale and/or design).

Activities that are appropriate and are unlikely to adversely affect identified values:

• Post and wire fences.
• New farm buildings and public amenity buildings, subject to standards.

Activities that may not be appropriate, may have adverse effects on identified values and will require resource consent: Buildings not meeting specified standards for permitted activities.

Plantation forestry

Threat identified in the Landscape Study: Production forestry.

Activities that are appropriate and are unlikely to adversely affect identified values: Existing plantation forestry continues under NES-PF.

Activities that may not be appropriate, may have adverse effects on identified values and will require resource consent: New plantation forestry (afforestation).