Rangitikei District Landscape Assessment (2010)

Landscape Assessment, District Plan Review

Location: Rangitikei District

Client: Rangitikei District Council

Hudson Associates was commissioned by Rangitikei District Council to an expert based landscape assessment, with 21 areas identified as having landscape significance. These fall into 7 areas of Outstanding Natural Landscape, 1 area of Outstanding Cultural Feature, 11 areas of Significant Amenity Landscape and 2 areas of Cultural amenity landscape. Within these general classifications are included Features, relating to both Outstanding and Amenity landscapes.

The landscapes have been assessed according to the Pigeon Bay Criteria, which is a list of landscape assessment criteria established by the Environment Court in its decision on an appeal for a series of mussel farms in Pigeon Bay, Banks Peninsula. These criteria, which were refined in the subsequent Wakatipu Environmental Society Inc (WESI) v Queenstown Lakes District Council appeal, are known from that case as the WESI criteria. However, the Pigeon Bay case has taken on a greater prominence in rhetoric, and is the commonly used method for assessing the significance of landscapes.

The results of this work has been carried through to the provisions of the Proposed District Plan, particularly in relation to Objective 14 (Outstanding Landscapes) and Chapter 12 (Special Assessment Policies - Windfarms), as well as the planning maps.

Design

Master Planning

Landscape and Visual Assessment       

Planning and Resource Management

1. -Council
   

2. -Expert Evidence
   

Revegetation