Air

The Regional Plan: Air for Otago (the Air Plan) assists us in managing Otago's air resource.

If you want to carry out an activity that discharges contaminants to air, you must comply with the rules in the Air Plan.  Find out about the plan and how to get a copy.

Purpose of the plan

Regional plan preparation is optional under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), except for the preparation of regional coast plans. We decided to prepare the Air Plan to assist us in carrying out our functions under the RMA.

The purpose of the Air Plan is to promote the sustainable management of Otago's air resource. To achieve this, the Air Plan has policies and methods (which include rules) to address the air quality issues facing Otago.

Area covered by the plan

The Air Plan covers the entire Otago region, including Otago's coastal marine area.

Status of the plan including changes

This Council publicly notified the Air Plan on 28 February 1998. Following the process of submissions, hearings and appeals, Council made the Air Plan operative on 1 January 2003.  The table below lists changes to the Air Plan since it was made operative.

Key Event	Date Notified	Date Decision Released	Date Operative
Plan Change 1 (Fire Service Training)	17 December 2005	29 March 2006	10 April 2006
Plan Change 2 (National Environmental Standards)	14 April 2007	12 December 2007	1 January 2009

Why you should read the plan

If you're thinking of carrying out an activity in Otago that discharges contaminants (such as smoke, odour or dust) to air, you should read the rules in the Air Plan to see:

• If you can carry it out as a permitted activity,
• If you require a resource consent to carry it out, or
• If you cannot carry it out because it's a prohibited activity.
  
  

A resource consent is required for any activity the Air Plan states as being a discretionary activity.

The Air Plan does not apply to the discharge of contaminants to air associated with the normal operation of ships within the coastal marine area. Such discharges are controlled by the Resource Management (Marine Pollution) Regulations 1998, rather than the Air or Coast Plans. However, the Air Plan does apply to the discharge of contaminants to air from abrasive blasting, spray painting and conveying of bulk materials.

The Air Plan does not control the discharge of contaminants to air associated with the activities controlled by the Waste Plan.

Download

The Regional Plan: Air for Otago is split into print quality chapters for more convenient downloading. You can also download the Plan as a single document in a lower resolution for faster downloading. All files are PDF.

Order a printed copy

Order the plan by phone or email. There is no cost for copies of the Air Plan.

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