The earthquake on 22 February 2011 killed 185 people and caused extensive damage.
Following the earthquakes, special emergency planning processes had been implemented that suspended certain processes in the interest of speed and certainty during the rebuild. Christchurch City Council is now being given back control over its district planning process two years ahead of schedule, said minister Megan Woods. 鈥淚鈥檓 a strong believer that the best future for Christchurch is one where we return to local leadership over the future of our city,鈥� she said. 鈥淭oday I am proud to announce that we are returning the planning powers to the council, marking a real return to local leadership."
鈥淭his is a sign of how far we have come in Canterbury,鈥� she added. 鈥淎s we approach the eighth anniversary of the February 22nd earthquake, we are now able to return to the same planning processes that other cities use. It鈥檚 a powerful signal that Christchurch is moving out of its rebuild phase and looking to its future as New Zealand鈥檚 thriving second city.鈥�
Woods said that the milestone has been met more than two years ahead of schedule. 鈥淭his is a great sign of momentum in our regeneration,鈥� she said.
Christchurch City Council can now revert to normal planning processes to manage its district plan, marking a significant step in the transition back to local leadership. People, along with the council, will be able to initiate changes to the plan. They will be able to submit views on proposed changes, attend hearings and participate in proposing amendments.
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