Volume One 14. Use of the Rural Environment occurring in conjunction with the requirements of the Regional Pest Management Plan for Marlborough or a national pest strategy (if one is in place). [RPS, D] Objective 14.3 – Activities that are not related to primary production are appropriate to be located within rural environments. Primary production activities use rural resources for economic gain and cannot be easily or appropriately carried out in urban environments. The continued use of rural environments in Marlborough for primary productive uses and other land and soil resource dependent, rural-based activities is important to the economic health and wellbeing of Marlborough. The use of rural environments for activities that are more appropriately located elsewhere reduces the availability of the resource and can increase pressure on existing activities through reverse sensitivity effects. The objective therefore seeks to ensure that the rural resource does not become so fragmented by activities not requiring a rural location that its attraction for legitimate rural uses requiring a rural setting is diminished. There are some instances however where activities not related to primary production can be located within rural environments and subsequent policy sets out the circumstances when this is considered appropriate. [D] Policy 14.3.1 – Enable small scale and/or low intensity activities not relying on the primary production potential of Marlborough’s rural environments, where the adverse effects on the environment are minor and the activity is one of the following: (a) outdoor recreation; or (b) events of a limited duration. Some activities, while not relying on the primary production potential of rural resources, are nonetheless closely linked with the rural environment. This includes outdoor recreation that frequently takes place in rural environments, whether organised through clubs or informally by individuals. Additionally, there are occasionally events of a limited duration that can occur within rural environments. Some flexibility is needed for the operation of these activities as they can provide for an important element in the economic and social wellbeing of the community. In both cases permitted activity standards will establish a framework to enable these activities to occur. [D] Policy 14.3.2 – Where an activity is not related to primary production and is not otherwise provided for as a permitted activity, a resource consent will be required and the following matters must be determined by decision makers in assessing the impacts on primary production before any assessment of other effects is undertaken: (a) the extent to which the activity is related to primary production activities occurring at the site; (b) the functional need for the activity to be located within a rural zone and why it is not more appropriately located within another zone; (c) whether the proposed activity will result in a loss of land with primary production potential and the extent of this loss when considered in combination with other non-rural based activities; and (d) the extent to which the proposed activity supports primary production activities, including the processing of agricultural, viticultural or horticultural produce. Because rural environments can be vulnerable to small scale change that can have a significant cumulative effect on their efficient use for rural production and other lawfully established rural activities, it is important that activities not related to primary production and not otherwise provided for are assessed through the resource consent process. This will allow an assessment and determination of whether there will be significant effects on the efficient use of rural land for primary productive purposes. Policy 14.3.2 requires that this assessment be completed prior to a 14 – 7