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Planning : Good practice landscape
guidelines
It would be hard to have missed the boom in property development taking place around the Hastings district. New subdivisions and developments are popping up all over the region, with many more in the pipeline.
When it comes to planning such growth, a bit of thought can go a long way to minimising its effect on the surrounding environment.
Hawke's Bay is characterised and known for its natural features, with sun-baked hills surrounding a fertile basin of orchards, vineyards and farms. These features which make the district so attractive can be threatened by the very growth which they encourage.
For this reason, the Hastings District Council has developed a set of guidelines for potential and active property developers. They are not laws or rules, but points for consideration when planning anything from stand-alone developments to larger projects.
The guidelines contain advice on a wide range of situations and scenarios, including building near historic structures, clustering of housing developments and choosing the best place for house sites.
Building on a ridgeline, for example, will have a much larger visual impact than choosing a more sympathetic spot further down the hill.
Property owners in certain parts of the district identified as "Special Character Landscape Areas" will be receiving a copy of the guidelines in the post. These areas have been previously identified as having particular value to the districts unique landscape.
The guidelines are also available for downloading below, or in paper form from the Hastings District Council's main offices in Lyndon Road East, Hastings.
If you would like more information on planning a development, please contact the Hastings District Council's planning team on 878 0500.
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The documents below are in PDF format. View or print PDF files using Adobe Acrobat Reader (download or update for free). |
Note: Due to their size, these files are recommended for broadband internet users.
- Landscape guidelines part 1 (1.87 MB)
- Landscape guidelines part 2 (4.30 MB)
- Landscape guidelines part 3 (910 KB)
- Landscape guidelines A3 pull-out (3.15 MB)
These guidelines are based on the Outstanding Landscapes - Landscape Assessment of Hastings District document. Users with fast internet connections may download a copy of this document below, but it is also available on CD, along with the Good Practice Guidelines above, by contacting the Hastings District Council's planning team 878 0500.
Outstanding Landscapes - Landscape Assessment of Hastings District (15 MB)
