Timeframes and process for spatial planning

Timeframes for the first regional spatial plans

The timeframes for developing the first regional spatial plans are:

• national policy direction and national spatial plan standards will be released within 12 months after Royal Assent
• draft regional spatial plans must be notified for public consultation within 21 months of Royal Assent or nine months after national policy direction is released, whichever is later
• decisions on regional spatial plans must be made within nine months of the draft spatial plan being notified.

Process for the first regional spatial plans

The Planning Act outlines the core requirements for the spatial planning process but leaves some flexibility for regions to choose the governance arrangements and process for developing the draft spatial plan that works best for them.

The spatial planning process has the following steps:

• Step 1: Governance – local authorities develop a process agreement, appoint the committee and resource the secretariat.
• Step 2: Development – pre-notification consultation, applications invited from designating authorities to progress designations through the spatial plan process, spatial plan drafted.
• Step 3: Notification – spatial plan committee recommends draft spatial plan to local authorities for notification; local authorities agree to publicly notify draft spatial plan.
• Step 4: Independent hearing panel (IHP) – IHP hears submissions and makes recommendations.
• Step 5: Decisions – local authorities (and Minister and designating authorities) make decisions on IHP recommendations.
• Step 6: Appeals – limited appeals on decisions on IHP recommendations.
• Step 7: Adoption – local authorities adopt spatial plan.
• Step 8: Implementation – spatial plan committee prepares and maintains an implementation plan.
• Step 9: Review – spatial plan committee begins a review of the spatial plan when required by legislation, for example, if a review is required by a national instrument. The committee must review new information about the built environment and natural environment to consider if a review is necessary or desirable. A review can also be done at any other time.