Resource Consent Submissions

One of the aims of the Upper Clutha Tracks Trust is to advocate for walking and cycling tracks and access.

This generally takes the form of the Trust making submissions on publicly notified resource consent applications where the Trust believes that there are access opportunities.

The Trust has a policy of neither supporting nor opposing the application, but requesting that any access offered by the applicant as a result of our submission be included as a condition of a consent.

The Trust’s submission will usually document these ideas and suggest to the applicant that they may wish to offer this access as part of their development proposal. This could be an altruistic gesture or gift to the community.

The Trust also suggests that improved public access by way of tracks or easements for tracks can be considered as  “environmental compensation” which can help offset negative effects of the application. In some cases this can make the difference between an application being granted or declined.

The Trust also makes submissions where a development adjoins or is close to public land – unformed legal roads, marginal strips, esplanade reserves etc. These types of public land are vital for creating new tracks and for public access in general.

There has recently been some high profile cases where walking and cycling tracks have been proposed and intend to use marginal strips and unformed legal roads and have been opposed by adjoining landowners.

The purpose of the Trusts submission is to bring to the attention of the applicant that the adjoining or nearby public land may used used for public access/walking/cycling tracks at some future time, and to seek a reverse sensitivity clause that they will not object to that use in the future.

The Trust welcomes approaches from people considering local developments with a view to discussing access possibilities with them at an early stage.

The Trust will post some of its submissions on its website for information