5.3.12 Loss of versatile soils.
5.3.12.1 Desired environmental outcomes
Maintenance of a supply of versatile or high quality soils within a region or district.
5.3.12.2 Regional council methods
The main means available to regional councils of managing actual soil loss (through covering or removal) is through regulation of earthworks. Regional councils have the function of the control of land use activities for soil conservation purposes; this relates more to sediment generation and soil loss from erosion or removal than it does to covering soils in hard surfaces. Examples of possible approaches to controlling loss of (versatile) soils include:
- controls on removal of topsoil;
- conditions on resource consents for earthworks involving cut and fill, or topsoil removal, that require that topsoil is stockpiled and replaced;
- rules or consent conditions limiting the extent of cut and fill.
5.3.12.3 District council methods
The main method available to district councils to control the loss of versatile soils (for biophysical reasons) is control on site coverage. These controls could be targeted to specific areas of high quality soils, or be general for the whole rural area of the district. Site coverage rules should be reasonable and enable the construction of dwellings, outbuildings, implement sheds, and driveways etc. These rules are generally a percentage of the site area.
However, site coverage is generally applied to a more urban situation, where it is possible to achieve high levels of coverage. In a rural situation, it is unlikely that on an individual site basis, significant percentages of the site would be covered (unless the site was used for an industrial type activity).
Rather than setting site coverage limits, rules could specify minimum lot sizes. The relationship between area of soils covered and the lot size would need to be established in order for this approach to be justified.
Cumulative effects may occur where multi lot small size subdivisions occur. Where an application comes forward for a multi lot subdivision in an area of high quality soils which are identified to be protected, conditions on the consent could specify an overall site coverage limit. The subdivision could also be designed to avoid, where practicable, building platforms and other hard surfaces located on areas of the site containing the high quality soils.
A district plan could also define special zones of high quality soils and include controls aimed at minimising loss of these soils by coverage or removal for topsoil; for example rules regulating topsoil excavation and sale.
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