Regional Soil Plan
The Regional Soil Plan became operative on 9 October 2000. Change 1 to the Regional Soil Plan was made operative on 1 September 2003. The change affected the plan's definition of "soil". There were no changes to the rules.
The Plan applies to the whole of the Wellington region, except the coastal marine area. It identifies issues to be addressed so that the effects of soil disturbance and vegetation clearance can be sustainably managed. Objectives, policies, and methods (including rules) have been adopted to address these issues.
You can browse the Soil Plan rules by clicking on the highlighted regional rules link at the left of this screen.
The Plan can be downloaded from the document bar on the right of this screen.
What sort of activities does the Plan cover?
The Regional Soil Plan applies to soil disturbance and vegetation disturbance on erosion prone land only. There are four rules in the Plan. These control:
- roading and tracking (unless it is associated with works allowed by a subdivision consent)
- disturbing more than 1000 cubic metres of soil clearing more than one hectare of vegetation
Any development or use of land that is not specifically restricted by a rule in the Plan is allowed as of right (unless it is restricted by a rule in a district plan).
Our on-line User Guide can help you find the rules or regulations that apply to activities in the Greater Wellington region.
Plan effectiveness monitoring
The plan effectiveness report for the Regional Soil Plan describes the results of monitoring the effectiveness of the policies and methods, including rules, in the Plan. A full copy of the report can be downloaded from the sidebar on the right side of this page.
Related regional plans
The Regional Freshwater Plan covers all discharges to water not in the coastal marine area - including discharges of stormwater from sites where there are bulk earthworks - and all activities in the beds of rivers and lakes. The Regional Plan for Discharges to Land covers all discharges of contaminants to land, including discharges of silt to land that then enter water. The Regional Air Quality Management Plan covers discharges of contaminants to air.
Contact us for more information about the Regional Soil Plan.