Rural Area Development

Rural area development

Rural Area Development Indicators (what we measure)

 

Overview

Demand for residential properties and lifestyle blocks in rural settings can create considerable pressure on rural land. Particularly close to townships, areas of rural land on high quality soils are purchased and subdivided into smaller lots for residential and lifestyle purposes.

What is High Quality Soil?Rural development

Soil class makes up one of the three components of the Land Use Capability Classification (LUC). The LUC categorises different kinds of land according to those properties that determine its capacity for long-term sustained production. The LUC has three basic components: class, subclass and unit (Landcare Research 2009).

LUC class is most commonly used and classifies land from I (the most versatile and productive class) to VIII (the class with most limitations). Classes I, II, and III are considered high quality soils within Matamata-Piako District Council’s District Plan.

The land in each class is further subdivided into sub-classes according to the major kind of limitation to its use. The subclasses are erodibility, wetness, soil or climate.

The LUC unit is the most detailed level of classification and allows for subclasses to be further classified based on the kind of intensity of management or conservation treatment required. Areas of land that have the same unit are capable of growing the same kind of crops, pasture or forest species.

Subdivision on High Quality Soils

Council monitors the subdivision of rural land on high class soils. This type of land fragmentation could result in future shortages of properties of suitable size for viable farming and horticultural units.

The number of applications received to subdivide Class I, II and III soils into lots less than 8 hectares has varied between 11 and 37 per year between 2008/09 and 2018/19. The large increase from 11 applications in 2010/11 to 37 applications in 2011/12 may be due to the proposed Rural Subdivision district plan change (Plan Change 42), which was consulted on in 2011/12, and proposed to increase the minimum lot size in rural areas to 40 hectares.

Plan Change 42 provided for boundary relocation applications, where two adjoining lots could be reconfigured to allow for one lot of up to one hectare, with the second lot making up the balance area. Although a small lot of less than eight hectares is created it means that, overall, no additional lots are created and the second lot has a larger area, which fulfills one of the intentions of Plan Change 42, which was to reduce the fragmentation of Rural zoned land.

 

Some of the above applications were to subdivide land to create more than one new lot. In 2016/17, there was just one boundary relocation application on high quality soil and only two in 2017/18. In 2018/19, 10 applications were processed in relation to boundary relocation.  The rise in figures is a result of the economic growth that the district has been experiencing.

The number of new lots less than 8 ha created as a result of subdivisions on high class soils is shown below.

New Dwellings in the Rural Zone

The number of building consents applied for on Class I, II and III soils for new dwellings in the Rural Zone steadily decreased from a high of 54 in 2007/08 to the lowest level since state of the environment reporting began, 19 in 2009/10. The trend in the number of building consents has been consistent with the trend in the number of lots created in the Rural Zone.

Designations in the Rural Zone

Riparian Management

A designation is a selected piece of land that is required by an authority for a specific purpose. Designations are listed in Schedule 4 of Council’s District Plan and may be required for uses such as roads, water, sewerage, electricity and communication purposes.

In the Matamata-Piako District the area of class I, II and III soils in the Rural Zone designated for non-productive uses decreased, overall, from 1160 hectares in 2010/11 to 634 hectares in 2013/14.

In 2011/12, 23 designations were removed from the District Plan because they had not been given effect to before the date of their expiry. Designations in the district include Council-owned facilities such as cemeteries, recreational reserves, water and sewerage works, roads and other government-owned purposes such as electricity supply, schools, roading and telecommunications and radio. No designations were added or removed in the rural area in 2013/14 or 2014/15. In 2015/16, a designation was added for the Mount Misery water reservoir south of Morrinsville.

Non-productive Activities in the Rural zone

There are non-productive activities other than designations on Class I, II and III soils. Non-productive activities include educational facilities, places of assembly, accommodation facilities, industrial and depot activities, mining/quarrying, offices, marae developments, commercial services and boarding/breeding of domestic pets.

These are activities that do not depend on soil quality; some have located in the rural environment because of the adverse effects that they create while others serve a rural purpose, or have historically been located in a rural area.

In 2016/17, there were 23 applications granted. Three related to the establishment of depots, and four to the construction of garages. There were also applications for the expansion of a chicken farming operation and a new wastewater treatment plant at an industrial site.

In 2017/18, there were also 23 applications granted for non-productive activities on the highest class soils: two related to the expansion of chicken farms, four related to bridge construction, and 10 were for yard encroachments.

In 2018/19, there were 45 applications granted for non-productive activities in the Rural zone.  These included 12 yard encroachments, nine applications to relocate second hand buildings, four applications related to poultry farming and three applications for accessory farm buildings in the peat hazard zone.

 

 


New Lots resulting from Subdivision

The average lot size of rural subdivisions on Class I, II and III soils has increased in recent years. Before 2010/11, the average newly created lot size of created lots on high quality soils was less than 12 ha. However, since 2010/11 the average lot size is about 22ha.

The relatively low number of proprties that are subdivided in an average year and the variability of their size can create distortions in the figures. The recent larger average lot size may have been in response to Plan Change 42 - Rural Subdivision, Council's review of the subdivision rules, which specified a new minimum lot size of 40 hectares in the Rural Zone, but did also, however, introduce the boundary relocation rule. In the years 2016/17 to 2018/19 the average subdivision lot size on high quality soils was 29.3, 41.8 and 30.7 hectares, respectively.

Rural-Residential Subdivision

The number of lots between 2,500m² and 1 hectare in the Rural and Rural-Residential zones has steadily increased between 2008/09 and 2017/18.

Approximately 2,727 dwellings exist on Class I, II and III soils in the Rural and Rural-Residential zones within the district. A number of these are small lifestyle and house blocks, and are not used for productive purposes. However lifestyle blocks are only using a small percentage of our productive land.

  • Approximately 98% of the high class soils are likely to be for productive uses on larger blocks of land in the Rural zone
  • Approximately 1% of the high class soils is made up of small sized land parcels (up to 4.5 hectares)
  • Approximately 1% of the high class soils is made up of designations

What Council Is Doing

Council continues to monitor development on high class soils in the Rural zone. Only one subdivision consent has been declined in the past 10 years.

In 2009/10 Council received an application which proposed to subdivide creating four lots between 5,507 m² and 8,050 m² and a balance larger lot on rural land near Morrinsville. The Hearings Commission declined the application which was then appealed to the Environment Court where the Hearings Commission decision was upheld (Sanson v Matamata-Piako District Council [2011] NZEnvC 165). The judge in making a decision concluded that:

 “In terms of taking land out of productive use, we would have to agree that losing 10, or even 13 ha, taken as a single instance, is unlikely to have a significant direct adverse effect, locally, regionally or nationally. But the cumulative effect of the loss of even that much cannot be ignored, especially when such an outcome conflicts with the relevant Plan provisions.”

 And also that the proposal would directly be responsible for fragmenting titles and establishing houses on good quality soils:  “The outcome would be exactly the opposite of what the Plan says is sought.”

Designations for non-productive activities on Class I, II and III soils can be removed to provide access to these high quality soils. From 2008/09 to 2010/11, no designations for non-productive activities were removed from high class soils, with 23 removed in 2011/12. There have been no designations removed from high class soils in the years since.

The removal of buildings can also make high class soils more available for productive uses. In the 10 years to 2017/18 a total of 70 building consents have been granted for demolition in the Rural Zone.

Removal of non-productive activities on high class soils 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19
Number of designations removed 0 0 0 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Number of building consents granted for demolition 8 13 7 6 3 8 5 1 4 4 6

How are we Doing?

Anticipated Environmental Results

Rural Area Development

Achieved?

  • AchievingAchieving
  • Progress towards achievementProgress towards achievement
  • Not AchieveingNot Achieving
  • Not MonitoredNot Monitored
A reduction in the number of building permits granted for dwellings on the high quality soils areas where there is no connection with an agricultural operation

Not Achieveing

(numbers not reducing)

All land titles are to be useable now and for future generations Progress towards  achievement
Land titles must not compromise the achievement of the Plan’s objectives and policies

Not Achieveing - Progress towards  achievement

(There is on-going erosion of rural productive area through small lot subdivision, but majority of rural productive land still intact)

Click here to learn more about District Plan Effectiveness and read the full report on Rural Area Development

For More Information 

Land Use Capability Survey Handbook

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