An influx of last-minute mail at the weekend more than quadrupled the number of submissions on the Southland District Council's proposed district plan.

Submissions on the district plan closed on Monday.

Resource planning manager Simon Moran said the council had received about 300 submissions.

The council had only received 25 submissions last week.

The proposed plan will determine how the district's natural and physical resources are managed and what land-use activities will be permitted in the next decade.

Staff had started reading through submissions but this would take time as some were quite substantial, Mr Moran said.

A summary of submissions would be completed by May but it was likely council hearings would be delayed because of other commitments, such as the local body elections in October, he said.

Mr Moran expected hearings to be held in March next year.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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