Media statement
24 November 2021
MEDIA STATEMENT - Independent Hearing Commissioner panel appointed
Council has appointed a panel of three Independent Hearing Commissioners to decide the notification path for six resource consent applications for the temporary use of motels as emergency housing.
The panel is made up of two senior planners David Hill and Greg Hill, and barrister Sheena Tepania, all experts in their respective planning and legal professional disciplines and experienced commissioners.
The decision to appoint the panel was made by Council as a way to assure the community and the applicant that the processing of the applications would be carried out fairly and independently.
The commissioners are delegated by Rotorua Lakes Council to perform Council’s functions and duties as the consent authority under the Resource Management Act in its processing of the applications.
District Development DCE Jean-Paul Gaston says that appointing the commissioners protects the integrity and independence of the process that is fair to both the applicant and the community.
“This is a complex situation and as the consent authority, Council has a legal obligation to follow the statutory process that is outlined by the Resource Management Act. There is no discretion to make decisions outside of what the Act prescribes. While we have absolute confidence in our Council Planning team, by appointing the commissioners we can provide an additional level of certainty to the community and to the applicants that all decisions will be made fairly, independently and with the benefit of a very high level of expertise.”
“We’ve always said that any motel contracted by the Government for emergency housing will need to be considered under the District Plan. That is the process that we are following with the six applications currently before Council.”
The six applications are currently on hold while Council awaits further information from the applicant.
Once the further information has been provided, Council’s Planning team will continue to process the applications and prepare reports and recommendations to the panel on notification and, subsequently, on the grant or decline of each application.
The panel will review the information in its entirety, consider the recommendation and make decisions on the applications.
If the panel decide to limited notify or publicly notify an application, and a hearing is then required on that application, the panel will hold a hearing and then decide to grant or decline the application.
Further information:
- The applications are for a temporary use for motels for emergency housing.
- These resource consent applications are the first six of the 13 motels that have now been contracted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MHUD) for emergency housing. MHUD announced the use of contracts for motels in May this year.
- The 13 motels are already being used for emergency housing.
- A resource consent process provides a mechanism to ensure that the proposal satisfies the District Plan’s requirements regarding such things as noise, amenity areas, hours of operation and parking.