Council to undertake TD2050 review in stages

Taupo District Council plans for a staged review of its growth management strategy Taupo District 2050.

Taupo District 2050 (TD2050) identifies where Council prefers future urban growth to occur and the nature and scale of such growth. TD2050 was adopted by Council in June 2006, and a complete review was planned for 2008. However a number of factors mean Council has endorsed officers advice to stage the review process to reduce costs and ensure that current projects stay on target.

Mayor Rick Cooper says a number of large and complex projects which are part of the TD2050 implementation programme are currently underway and it’s important to let some of these major projects “bed down” before a major review. “It makes more sense to approach the review in stages. Some of these projects are still in their infancy and have, therefore, not had time to achieve what they were designed to do,” he says.

Officers advise that a full review of the strategy should be undertaken following the next Census in 2011. That will allow the Council to check whether the original growth projections in TD2050 are still relevant.

Group Manager, Gareth Green says that a better result can be achieved by waiting a little longer, he says by the end of 2011 he anticipates: the TD2050 changes to the District Plan will have been through the appeal process; the West Kinloch Arterial (WeKA) designation will have been resolved; the Mapara Valley Structure Plan and District Plan Change will be complete and Lake Taupo and water allocation Variations to the Regional Plan will have completed their process. “These are all very important issues which will have a direct impact on TD2050 so it’s important to allow these to take place, and then undertake a meaningful review.”

In the meantime the Council has asked officers to undertake a partial review in 2009 looking at the assumptions which underpin TD2050 and the ongoing relevance of the actions in the implementation plan.

TD2050 can be viewed on www.taupo.govt.nz and are also available on disc or hard copy from the Taupo District Council offices.