Marlborough Sounds Resource Management Plan 1.8 Information Requirements Preamble As a unitary authority, the Marlborough District Council has the powers, functions and responsibilities of both a regional and a district council. With these dual responsibilities the Council has taken the opportunity to integrate the management of the resources of the Marlborough Sounds area by preparing a combin ed Regional, District and Coastal Plan - the Marlborough Sounds Resource Management Plan. This is of particular advantage to applicants for resource consent, in that as a Unitary Authority, the Council has become a one stop shop for applicants and the integrated structure of its Plan provides applicants with a single source of information. Statutory Context Since the Act’s purpose“…is to promote the sustainable management of natural and phy s,” these provisions of the Plan which relate to information sical resource requirements are fundamental to the administration of the Act. They provide a means by which the Council and the community can obtain sufficient information to allow for an understanding of the activity, its potential adverse effects and way in which those effects may be avoided, remedied or mitigated. Making an Application The Act contains general information requirements for resource consent applications. Section 88 of the Act sets out the requirements regarding information that must accompany applications for resource consents. This includes details on assessing effects on the environment. The required type and detail of information will vary according to the: type, scale and frequency of anticipated effects; sensitivity of the receiving environment; and presence of special values at a site. Therefore, applicants should discuss the level of information required with Council staff prior to making a formal application for resource consent. Related information and guideline details, for making an application, are available at the Council’s public counter or by telephone/facsimile upon request. Matters that should be included in an assessment of effects on the environment are set out in the Fourth Schedule to the Act, under the headings: 1. Matters that should be included in an assessment of effects on the environment; and 2. Matters that should be considered when preparing an assessment of effects on the environment. Without limiting the scope of the requirements for provision of the information required, all applications for resource consents shall provide the following general information: • Outline of the activity including the scale of the proposal and a description of the characteristics of the site and location; • Map of the location; • Explanation of why the site has been chosen; 1 - 6