Chapter 5 - Landscape Guidelines The Council will develop landscape guidelines in accordance with the policies outlined in this chapter. Such guidelines will provide subdividers, land users and building applicants with information on suitable siting, design and use of colour for buildings and structures. Education The Council will provide landowners in areas identified as being of outstanding landscape importance with information on the values attributed to their land. Covenants The Council will encourage the use of voluntary open space or conservation covenants, or other agreements as a means of protecting an area of landscape value. Subdivision The Council may impose conditions of consent for subdivision, where appropriate, requiring landscape covenants be registered on the land title or the vesting of certain land as reserve in order to protect landscape values. Land Acquisition The Council will consider acquiring a site with outstanding landscape values where land purchase is the only means available for protection of the values. Incentives The provision of incentives to promote the protection of outstanding natural features and landscapes which has been shown to meet the criteria in Appendix One. Incentives will be investigated further and may include: • Waiving resource consent application fees; • Waiving development contributions where property development incorporates the protection of an identified outstanding natural feature or landscape; and • Through the annual planning process, consider granting reductions in rating for properties where outstanding natural features and landscapes are protected through either rules in the Plan or by an open space or conservation covenant. The methods provide a general framework for the protection of outstanding natural features and landscapes from inappropriate subdivision, use and development. It is important to note that it is not outright protection which is sought by the objective, policies and methods above, but rather protection from inappropriate subdivision, use or development. There are numerous means available to moderate landscape impact. For example, a structure on land, such as a residential dwelling or a transmission mast can have a lesser visual effect if it is appropriately located on the site, the shape and size is moderate and reflects the surrounds, and the external finish is non-reflective and incorporates neutral colours. A number of the areas identified as having outstanding landscape value are in public ownership, generally administered by the Department of Conservation. Such areas are unlikely to face many visual or landscape threats. 5 5