Posted: 23 May 2007
Aquaculture work to gather pace
Local authority moves to establish a framework to allow for marine farming in Northland are expected to gather pace from next month (June).
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333 submissions were received on plans to change our Regional Coastal Plan to allow for Aquaculture Management Areas.
Glenn Mortimer, Planning and Policy Manager for the Northland Regional Council, says work on aquaculture has slowed in recent weeks with the departures of two of the Council’s three Coastal Planners.
The two – including the Coastal Planning Team Leader - had left to further their careers, while the third team member has been on maternity leave since last year.
Mr Mortimer says it is not unusual for planning staff to change jobs, however, the two recent departures in relatively quick succession had meant unfortunate, but unavoidable, delays to the Council’s aquaculture planning work.
He says a new Team Leader has been hired and is due to start work in late June, with a Senior Planner joining him shortly after. “Both have worked for the Northland Regional Council previously and I’m confident they’ll very quickly come up to speed.”
Mr Mortimer says the Council had earlier this year received 333 submissions on plans to change its Regional Coastal Plan to allow for Aquaculture Management Areas - ‘Proposed Plan Change 4’.
Staff had hoped to release a detailed summary of those submissions for further comment in late March, but it would now probably be released soon after the new staff started.
Legally, new marine farms can now only be developed in areas formally designated as AMAs by Regional Councils and the NRC consultation is designed to ensure evaluation criteria it uses to consider applications for AMAs are as robust as possible.