Submission – Proposed Kapiti Coast District Plan 2012
The Kapiti Coast Chamber of Commerce (the ‘Chamber’) is a not-for-profit, volunteer based Kapiti organisation with approximately 270 members the vast majority of whom are local business people.
It exists to “encourage and support integrated business growth that brings wealth and employment to Kapiti” and in so doing also seeks to act as the voice of business in Kapiti and provide services of value to members and non-members.
Please note that the size and complexity of the District Plan and the very limited resources of the Chamber means that only certain key points are being addressed in this submission. A lack of reference to any part of the plan does not mean that it is agreed or disagreed.
While there are a huge number of very positive and well thought out aspects of the proposed District Plan, this submission by necessity deals mainly with those aspects where the Chamber either opposes or requests amendment.
In summary, the Chamber:
- Broadly agrees with the overall thrust of Objectives 2.16 (Economic Vitality), 2.17 (Centres) and 2.19 (Urban Design). They largely espouse worthwhile ideals and objectives towards which we as a community should be moving.
- Submits that some aspects of the plan are too restrictive and will create barriers and disincentives which will lead to negative consequences for business and employment in Kapiti.
- Recommends several amendments.
- Notes that in requesting amendments to the higher level Objectives, we may not have captured every amendment needed to the lower level Policies, rules and standards in order to meet the slightly changed Objectives. Thus we request that Council re-consider the Policies properly in the light of the revised Objectives and ensure any needed changes are identified and inserted.
- In some aspects of making this submission, it incorporates and builds on the concepts in the KCDC Economic Development Strategy and the ‘Envisioning an Economic Future for Kapiti- 2031’ document which was developed by local future-thinking business people in late 2011.