Understanding Hamilton’s Plan Change 14: What You Need to Know
On 21 January 2025 Hamilton City Council notified Plan Change 14, a significant update aimed at protecting people, property, and development from flooding risks. This article breaks down what Plan Change 14 entails, how it might affect you, and how our team can help you navigate these changes.
What is Plan Change 14?
Plan Change 14 introduces new flooding areas and better defines existing flooding areas within the District Plan. The new classifications and flooding areas are as follows:
Low Flood Hazard Area – Flooding up to 50cm in depth and water speed of less than 1m per second
Medium Flood Hazard Area - Flooding between 50cm and 1m in depth and water speed between 1m and 2m per second
High Flood Hazard Area - Flooding above 1m depth and water speed greater than 2m per second
Depression Area – These areas show flooding assuming a stormwater network failure and block culverts
Flood Extent Area – Areas where flooding could extend to (generally less than 10cm in depth)
Overland Flow path – Areas where surface water will flow.
What does it mean for you?
If your property falls within any of these flooding overlays, Plan Change 14 will impact your future development. This could mean needing resource consent for developments that previously didn’t require it and implementing measures to mitigate flooding risks.
Importantly, the flooding maps have been removed from the District Plan. Instead, the best available information, including Council’s ‘Floodviewer’, will be used to determine if flooding is present on your site. The removal of the flooding maps from the District Plan into the Councils ‘Floodviewer’ will make them easy to be updated over time as new information comes to light. However, it also means that a site that does not contain a flooding overlay today, is not guaranteed to remain this way tomorrow.
Next Steps:
The Plan Change is open for submissions until 28 February 2025 4:30pm. If you make a submission, you will have the opportunity to present you case at a hearing, likely late 2025/early 2026.
How We Can Help
Our team at BCD is here to assist you. Whether you need advice on how Plan Change 14 affects your property, help with preparing and lodging a submission, or strategies to mitigate flooding risks, we are ready to support you every step of the way. Feel free to get in touch for any queries.
Contact us today to see how we can assist you in navigating these changes and ensuring your developments comply with the new provisions.
Helpful links:
https://maps.hamilton.govt.nz/floodviewer/
https://hamilton.govt.nz/property-rates-and-building/district-plan/plan-changes/plan-change-14/
Note: This article aims to provide general guidance and should not replace professional advice specific to your project or situation. For professional advice, please contact our team today.
