A proposed plan change to designate a ribbon land for stormwater and open public space through parts of the planned Richmond West Development commits the Tasman District Council to buying the affected land.

However, landowners have said the new zoning's development restriction would lower the value of the affected property.

The council's environment and planning manager, Dennis Bush-King, said the original plan had the affected land marked as indicative reserve overlying current rural zonings deferred for future residential, mixed business and light industrial development.

The aim of the current proposed Plan Change 37 was to provide more appropriate zoning that recognised the affected land's future function as open public amenity space and a public works stormwater path and restricted any development, he said.

In a now-released in-committee report to the council on feedback to the draft plan change, policy planner Steve Markham said having a clear open space objective was the key concern of the council. The current zoning gave the wrong development expectation.

However, the submitters' essential concern was that the zoning change to open space would devalue the affected land, because it could not be commercially developed.

Submitters to the draft plan change had argued that the council had effectively broken agreements with landowners by proposing to alter the zoning within a future urban setting to open space.

"Ideally, a designation and open space zoning should have been indicated in the first place," Mr Markham said.

In his June report, he said an assessment of the landowners' concerns found there was little other than expected private return, and possible savings in public costs, at stake.

Mr Bush-King said the current indicative reserve zoning did not oblige the council to buy the land. However, the new proposed zoning would commit the council to a land purchase.

"All we are doing is making some changes to remove the indicative reserve zoning and amend the underlying zoning to reflect the end purpose."

The proposed open space is largely based on existing watercourses and drainage patterns. It runs from the southern side of Hart Rd and diagonally across the planned Richmond West Development Zone to end at the western side of Headingly Lane.

The proposed change is out for public consultation until November 13.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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