Planning for Southland's future

Posted by on 26 January 2012 | 0 Comments

It's going to be a busy year for us here at Southland District Council and we will be seeking Southland residents' opinions on three essential projects.

At the moment, we are working on our Long Term Plan, which sets out what Council plans to do in the District for the next 10 years. The plan explains what projects, such as water supply schemes or rehabilitation of roads, are needed and how these projects will be paid for. Most of this funding will come from rates so it is really important our ratepayers take an interest in the process and have their say when it comes to submission time in April-May.  We have extra pressure on rates, with a large increase in insurance and a reduction in government funding for roading so it is important for us to set priorities with our ratepayers.

Another large project is the representation review of Council. Every six years, Council has to, under law, review how it represents its ratepayers - for example, how many councillors there should be, whether the councillors are elected in wards or at large, and how many community boards and community development area sub-committees there are. We will be coming out to the community from mid May through to mid June with some possible suggestions of how Council should look and again we want feedback from our ratepayers and residents.

And finally the Southland District Plan is under review and after several years of work, the new Plan should be out for public consultation in July. The District Plan sets the rules for what can happen in the District - where signs can be put up, what plants and trees can be cleared without a permit, where new subdivisions can go - so yet again this will be the chance to have a say on this very important document. The District Plan is probably the most important document we produce as it controls the development of Southland and how we will look in the future.

It was an amazing start to the New Year with the beautiful summer weather and the amount of people who were out enjoying themselves around Southland was fantastic. The last couple of weeks has seen much needed rain for the farmers and I am hoping February will be fine again. We live in a beautiful place and Council aims to keep it that way together with everyone who lives in the District, so please make sure you do have your say on all of these documents.