Activity Group: Environmental Management There are currently five national policy statements and six national environmental National Planning Standards standards. In most cases these were given effect to through the review of the Government is also in the process of developing national planning standards. The resource management framework. standards can relate to any aspect of the structure, format or content of regional National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management policy statements and plans, and the Council must amend its planning documents if so directed. The first tranche of standards are expected in 2019. It is not In the case of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2014, possible to plan for any changes at this stage as the nature of the national the Council has adopted a staged implementation programme to establish a planning standards is not known. However, it is likely that changes will be required minimum aquifer level for the Wairau Aquifer through to 2019 and to establish to the Council’s resource management framework over the life of this LTP. freshwater quality limits through to 2024. These programmes set out the various actions that will be taken by the Council to establish those limits, including Transitioning to the Marlborough Environment Plan technical investigations, community consultation and planning. The budget Leading up to and following notification of the reviewed RPS/RMP, the operative implications of this work will be highlighted through future annual planning resource management framework still has legal status and therefore requires processes. Note that there are government commitments to further review the maintenance. NPSFM and this could have an effect on the Environmental Policy Activity work programme. Plan change requests to the operative resource management framework made by National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity members of the public, which cannot be anticipated, have a similar effect on the environmental policy work programme as central government initiatives. Any new In the case of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity plan change request has to be processed in accordance with statutory processes 2016, the Council is required to monitor a range of indicators for housing and and timeframes. The costs of plan change requests are borne by the person who business development capacity in Blenheim on a quarterly basis. A housing and has made the request (unless the Council adopts the plan change as its own). business development capacity assessment is also required in December 2018 One plan change request was being processed at the time of preparing this LTP. and every three years thereafter. National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry The Council may need to notify plan changes as part of the process of aligning the provisions of the operative plans and the proposed MEP with the National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry. 2018-2028 Long Term Plan Page 111