What is a "Designation"?

Designation - What does it mean for landowners affected by the proposed CPW irrigation scheme?

On 24th November 2005, Central Plains Water Limited (CPW) was given "requiring authority" status by the Minister for the Environment, David Benson-Pope. CPW intends to use the Public Works Act to compulsorily acquire the private land they need for their scheme and the status of requiring authority provides tools to get access to the land. The next stage of the process is to apply to SDC to designate the land needed.

A designation is a provision in a district plan that gives notice to the community that a requiring authority (CPW), intends to use land in the future for a project.
Once a site is designated, the requiring authority is able to:

• proceed with the specific work on the site as if it was permitted by the district plan.
• control activities that occur on the site, to prevent the landowner doing anything that would compromise the future work. This is the case even if the requiring authority does not own the site.
• apply to the Minister of Land Information to compulsorily purchase or lease all or part of the land under the Public Works Act 1981; and
• enter private land to undertake investigations (after giving notice)

Central Plains Water has applied to Selwyn District Council for permission to designate land associated with the river intake areas, the headrace, the dam and reservoir areas. On 11 November 2006 Selwyn District Council notified the public of CPW`s intention to apply for resource consents and the designations required to implement their scheme. A request for a designation is called a notice of requirement.

According to the CPW application documents at Selwyn District Council, over 100 parcels of land are directly affected by the designations and approx. 500 properties are affected by the network distribution canals. The Malvern Hills Protection Society is concerned that landowners have not been sent specific details about how their property may be affected by the designation. SDC has informed the Society that it is up to the public to search out this information.

The designations process is similar to that for resource consents. Affected landowners can make a submission supporting or opposing the designation of their land.

Submissions on designations are now closed.

For more information on designation and the resource consent process, check the Resource Management section of the Ministry for the Environment's website (www.mfe.govt.nz).