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Dunedin City Council – Kaunihera-a-rohe o Otepoti

Plan Change 1 – Minor Improvements

Plan Change 1 – Minor Improvements (PC-2024-1)
(formerly known as Variation 3)

Summary

Plan Change 1 - Minor Improvements to the Partially Operative Second Generation Dunedin City District Plan 2024 (2GP) was notified on 20 November 2024 and made targeted minor improvements to the 2GP. The initial submission period closed on 18 December 2024 and the further submission period closed on 4 March 2025.

The Hearing Panel for Plan Change 1 is comprised of independent commissioner Rob van Voorthuysen (Chairperson) and councillors Sophie Barker and Jim O’Malley.

The hearing of submissions and decisions on submissions on PC-2024-1 was conducted in two stages:

  • The first stage addressed the proposal to protect 146 more heritage buildings; and
  • The second stage addressed the remainder of the matters covered by Plan Change 1.

The hearing for the first stage (Heritage) was held in May 2025 and on 17 July 2025 the Hearing Panel issued its first decision report on the matters addressed at the first hearing. The appeal period has now closed. Please refer to Stage 1 information for further details.

The hearing for the second stage (All Other Topics) was held in August 2025 and on 29 October 2025 the Hearing Panel issued its second decision report on the matters addressed at the second hearing.

The appeal period has now started and the deadline for lodging a notice of appeal is 30 working days from being served with the public notice. Thirty working days from 29 October 2025 is 9 December 2025 (as defined under the Resource Management Act).

Please refer to the Stage 2 information for further details

  • Scope of Plan Change 

    Plan Change 1 (formerly known as Variation 3) responds to issues identified through implementation of the 2GP, feedback from plan users, and monitoring of plan effectiveness.  The changes were designed to ensure the 2GP effectively and efficiently achieves its objectives.

    The proposed changes include:

    • Changes to protect 146 more heritage buildings, over 24,000 more hectares of public land with significant biodiversity values, and 12 more significant trees.
    • Changes to provide a more enabling rule framework for health activities.
    • Changes to a wide range of provisions to make them easier to interpret and apply (for example, amending the definition of ground level so it is easier to identify it on sites with historical earthworks).
    • Changes to make rules more flexible (for example, rule changes to make it easier to build garages in yards).
    • Changes to better manage environmental effects from activities where existing provisions have been assessed as insufficient (for example, increasing the acoustic insulation requirements for new dwellings in the inner city to reduce the risk of complaints about live music noise, extending rules that manage transportation effects from activities that generate a high number of traffic movements, and requiring development to be set back from stormwater open watercourses in more locations).
    • Minor changes to correct errors.

  • Status of provisions

    Most changes proposed by Plan Change 1 received a submission. Changes that did not receive a submission in opposition and are not subject to an existing appeal on the 2GP are now beyond challenge and are deemed operative.

    Changes made to provisions through the Stage 1 (Heritage) and Stage 2 (All Other Topics) Decisions now have legal effect. Legal effect means both the Plan Change 1 provisions and the partially operative 2GP apply.

    Where there are no appeals against the decision provisions (or any closely related provisions), these provisions are deemed operative and replace the relevant existing rules in the partially operative 2GP. However, if a provision (or closely related provision) is appealed, both the provisions of the relevant decision and the partially operative 2GP (19 August 2024) apply until the appeals have been dismissed, withdrawn or determined by the Environment Court.

    The 2GP has been updated to reflect the current status of provisions.

Stage 1 - Heritage  

Summary

On 17 July 2025, the Hearing Panel issued its first decision report on the matters addressed at the Stage 1 (Heritage) hearing. The Stage 1 (Heritage) hearing considered submissions on the proposal to protect 146 more heritage buildings.

Stage 2 - Other Topics

Summary

On 29 October 2025, the Hearing Panel issued its second decision report on the matters addressed at the Stage 2 (All Other Topics) hearing. The Stage 2 (All Other Topics) hearing considered submissions on all matters except for heritage (which was considered in Stage 1).

  • Stage 2 (All Other Topics) Decision Report

    You can view the Stage 2 (All Other Topics) decision report online or on a public computer at the Dunedin City Library, South Dunedin Community Library, Mosgiel Library, Port Chalmers Library, Waikouaiti Library, or the Blueskin Bay Library (Waitati).

    A hard copy is available for viewing at the Dunedin City Council Civic Centre and at the Middlemarch Postal Agency.

    The decision report gives the Hearing Panel’s decisions on all matters except for heritage, and the reasons for their decisions. The report includes an attachment which details the changes made to provisions as a result of decisions.

    The provisions (not marked-up) can also be viewed online - Read the Plan.

    The 2GP Planning Map incorporates the mapping amendments - View the 2GP maps

    Decision reports

    Documents referenced in the Decisions Report

  • Making an Appeal

    The deadline for lodging a notice of appeal is 30 working days from being served with the public notice. Thirty working days from 29 October 2025 is 9 December 2025 (as defined under the Resource Management Act).

    Submitters may appeal decisions on matters that were the subject of their submission.

    The appeal process is run by the Environment Court and directions on how to appeal can be found on its website.

    Overview of the Environment Court’s processes.

    If you lodge an appeal, you are required to serve a copy of the appeal documents on:

    • the DCC (on the same date on which you lodge the appeal with the Environment Court)
    • all the other people who made submissions on the Plan Change 1 provision or matter to which the appeal relates (within five working days of lodgement with the Environment Court)

    If you require details of submitters or further submitters on Plan Change 1, please view the ‘Submissions Received’ section below or contact the City Development team at 2gpappeals@dcc.govt.nz or call the DCC on 477 4000.

    For service of a copy of your appeal on the DCC, the preferred method is to email a copy to 2gpappeals@dcc.govt.nz . Alternatively, you can post it to:

    • Plan Change 1 Appeal, Dunedin City Council, PO Box 5045, Dunedin 9054

    The DCC will include all notices of appeal on our website in due course.

  • Joining an Appeal - Requirements for s274 parties

    People who have submitted on the subject being appealed (or who have an interest greater than the general public) may join an appeal under s274 of the RMA.

    People will have until 20 January 2026 (being 15 working days after the end of the appeal period) to give notice to the Environment Court, Dunedin City Council and the appellant of their intention to become a party to the proceedings.  The s274 party must also give notice to all other s274 parties on the same appeal within 5 working days of the original deadline (27 January 2026).

    This process is managed by the Environment Court and directions on how to serve notice can be found on its website.

    Overview of the Environment Court’s processes.

  • Appeals received on Stage 2 (All Other Topics)

    Appeals received on Stage 2 (All Other Topics) will be added to the following table as they are received.

    Appeal NoticeDecision TopicSection 274 PartiesStatus
      

What if I have another question?

If your question has not been answered above, or you would like help navigating the plan change documentation, please check:

  • answers to frequently asked questions; and
  • contact details for the Plan Change 1 team.

Contact the Plan Change 1 Team

You can get help from someone in the Plan Change 1 team by either emailing districtplan@dcc.govt.nz or calling the DCC on 03 477 4000 and asking to speak to a member of the 2GP team about Plan Change 1.

Key Dates

  • Plan Change 1 public submission period: 20 November – 18 December 2024
  • Notification of Summary of Submissions: 19 February 2025
  • Further submission period:  19 February – 4 March 2025
  • Plan Change 1 hearings:
    • The hearing on Stage 1 (Heritage) was held in May 2025.
    • The hearing on Stage 2 (All Other Topics) was held in August 2025.
  • Stage 1 (Heritage) Hearing Panel Decision Report released 17 July 2025.
  • Stage 2 (All Other Topics) Hearing Panel Decision Report released 29 October 2025.
  • Submissions received

    Original Submissions Received

    Plan Change 1 submissions received

    Submissions received during Further Submissions phase

    Plan Change 1 Further submissions received

  • Summary of changes  

    The Summary of Changes document contains a summary of all proposals that have been assessed as part of Plan Change 1. This includes changes that have been included in the plan change as well as some options for changes that were assessed but rejected. These changes set the scope for what can be considered as part of any submission on Plan Change 1. The summary is presented in two tables:

    • Table 1 summarises changes to the written provisions of the 2GP (changes to objectives, policies, rules and other plan content); and
    • Table 2 summarises changes to zoning and other spatial layers.

    For full details of each change proposal, including background information and an assessment of options, please refer to the Section 32 Report.

    Summary of Proposed Scheduled Heritage Buildings

    The Summary of Proposed Scheduled Heritage Buildings document contains a summary of all buildings proposed to be scheduled as heritage buildings as part of Change SHB3, with photographs.

    For additional details of other changes proposed as part of Change SHB3, and details of buildings that have been assessed for scheduling but rejected, please refer to the Summary of Changes document or the Section 32 Report.

  • When will the changes apply?

    When new or amended rules apply (‘have legal effect’) is determined by the Resource Management Act 1991, with some rules being applied earlier than others.

    For this plan change, the rules that protect areas of significant indigenous vegetation or habitats of indigenous fauna (‘Change NE7’) and that protect historic heritage (‘Change SHB3’) had immediate legal effect from notification of the plan change on 20 November 2024. The 2GP provisions being amended by these changes are listed in the table below.

    The rest of the rule changes proposed in Plan Change 1 will only have legal effect after either:

    1. submissions have closed and no submissions have been made that oppose or seek changes to the proposed provisions (these provisions are currently being identified); or
    2. decisions have been made on submissions opposing or seeking changes to the rule and the rules have been confirmed or amended through those decisions (as relevant).

    For proposed changes to objectives and policies, the new wording will be considered alongside the current 2GP wording when assessing resource consent applications from notification of the plan change.

    Change IDTopicProposed changes to the following provisions have immediate legal effect from 20 November 2024
    NE7 Additions to the Areas of Significant Biodiversity Value (ASBV) schedule on public land Planning Map (areas of significant biodiversity value)
    Planning Map (3 Waters infrastructure mapped area)
    10.3.2.1.e
    10.7.2.5
    16.3.4.22.d
    16.11.X.1
    20.3.4.22.c
    20.11.X.1
    A1.2 Schedule of ASBVs for the following listings:
    C001
    C005
    C008
    C023
    C031
    C037
    C043
    C060
    C078
    C132
    C137
    C143
    C144
    C171
    C172
    C177
    C178
    C179
    C180
    C181
    C182
    C183
    C184
    C185
    C186
    C187
    C188
    C189
    C190
    C191
    C192
    C193
    C194
    C195
    C196
    C197
    C198
    C199
    C200
    C201
    C202
    C203
    C204
    C205
    SHB3 Add specified new scheduled heritage buildings Planning Map (scheduled heritage buildings)
    A1.1 Schedule of protected heritage items and sites for the following listings:
    BX001
    BX002
    BX003
    BX004
    BX005
    BX006
    BX007
    BX008
    BX009
    BX010
    BX011
    BX013
    BX014
    BX015
    BX016
    BX017
    BX018
    BX019
    BX021
    BX022
    BX023
    BX024
    BX025
    BX026
    BX028
    BX029
    BX030
    BX031
    BX033
    BX034
    BX036
    BX037
    BX038
    BX039
    BX040
    BX041
    BX043
    BX045
    BX046
    BX047
    BX049 (i)
    BX049 (ii)
    BX050
    BX051
    BX052
    BX053
    BX055
    BX056
    BX057
    BX058
    BX059
    BX060
    BX061
    BX063
    BX064
    BX065
    BX066
    BX067
    BX068 (i)
    BX068 (ii)
    BX068 (iii)
    BX068 (iv)
    BX069
    BX070
    BX071 (i)
    BX071 (ii)
    BX071 (iii)
    BX071 (iv)
    BX071 (v)
    BX071 (vi)
    BX071 (vii)
    BX071 (viii)
    BX071 (ix)
    BX073
    BX074
    BX075
    BX076 (i)
    BX076 (ii)
    BX077
    BX078
    BX079
    BX080
    BX081
    BX082
    BX083
    BX084
    BX085
    BX086
    BX087
    BX088
    BX089 (i)
    BX089 (ii)
    BX091
    BX092
    BX093
    BX094 (i)
    BX094 (ii)
    BX094 (iii)
    BX095 (i)
    BX095 (ii)
    BX095 (iii)
    BX096
    BX097 (i)
    BX097 (ii)
    BX097 (iii)
    BX097 (iv)
    BX097 (v)
    BX097 (vi)
    BX099
    BX102 (i)
    BX102 (ii)
    BX102 (iii)
    BX102 (iv)
    BX102 (v)
    BX102 (vi)
    BX102 (vii)
    BX102 (viii)
    BX103 (i)
    BX103 (ii)
    BX104
    BX107
    BX111
    BX112
    BX113
    BX114
    BX115
    BX116
    BX117
    BX118
    BX119
    BX120
    BX121 (i)
    BX121 (ii)
    BX121 (iii)
    BX121 (iv)
    BX121 (v)
    BX121 (vi)
    BX122 (i)
    BX122 (ii)
    BX122 (iii)
    BX122 (iv)
    BX123
    BX124
    BX125
    BX126
    BX127
    Planning Map (character-contributing buildings)
    A1.1 Schedule of protected heritage items and sites for the following listings:
    CC048
    CC070
    CC071
    CC077
    CC109
    CC113
    CC116
    CC197
    CC198
    CC199
    CC200
    CC201
    CC202
    CC460
    CC559
    CC709
    CC808
    CC809
    CC810
    CC818
    CC848
    CC875

Previous Plan Change 1 information

Plan Change 1 Documents

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