Part 6: Environmental outcomes reports Power to require environmental outcomes reports Section 153: Environmental outcomes reports for relevant consents and relevant plans Background
This is a new provision which allows the appropriate authority to make regulations requiring the preparation of an Environmental Outcomes Report for relevant plans and relevant consents. This provision establishes an outcomes-based approach to assessment where anticipated environmental effects are measured against specified environmental outcomes. As well as assessing against outcomes, an Environmental Outcomes Report must set out and assess the impact of any proposed mitigation or compensation as well as considering reasonable alternatives to the consent or plan, or any element of them. Where an Environmental Outcomes Report is required, this must be taken into account when considering whether to grant consent or bring a plan into effect.