Have Your Say: Manderson Bush Private Plan Change request

Manderson Bush is an area of rural land in Cloverlea, to the northern edge of Palmerston North. This land is included in the city’s 2024 Future Development Strategy as an area that is considered suitable for housing growth.

Peters Ave Company Ltd has requested a private plan change to rezone about 77 hectares of rural land to allow for residential, conservation and amenity use. The proposal would enable up to 900 new homes and include the protection of a piece of remnant kahikatea forest known as Manderson Bush, along with a recreation reserve alongside the forest for community use.

We are now publicly consulting on the plan change request and want to know your thoughts on what is proposed.

Have your say today

Key parts of the proposal include:

• Protection of an 8-hectare remnant kahikatea forest (Manderson Bush) as a conservation and amenity reserve, which will be vested in the Council. 
• Creating an open space recreation reserve next to Manderson Bush. 
• Enabling the construction of around 800–900 new homes, including medium-density residential housing along the central road network in the structure plan. 
• Constructing a stormwater management and treatment network to manage stormwater  safely.  
• Reducing the land area currently identified as Flood-Prone Overlay in the District Plan.
• Introduce a new chapter in the District Plan called the Manderson Bush Development Area.
• Include Manderson Bush in the schedule of significant sites in Section 17: Cultural and Heritage of the District Plan.
• Introduce a new definition in the District Plan for the Manderson Bush Development Area.

The development would include a connected, easy-to-walk street layout, with roads and paths linking to Peters Avenue and Gillespies Line, and possible future connections to Cloverlea Road. Click the image below to view the structure plan in full size.

(JPG, 2MB)

The process for a private plan change request is different from those done by councils

A private plan change request is proposed by a person, company, or organisation rather than the council.

The council manages the process, including notifying the public, seeking submissions and holding hearings. The council also assesses the proposal, considers public feedback from submissions and then makes its own recommendations on the requested plan change. A panel of Hearing Commissioners then decides whether to approve it, sometimes with modifications.

Have Your Say by 4pm, 15 May 2026

We’re now seeking your feedback on the Manderson Bush Private Plan Change request. Your thoughts will help guide the decision on whether to approve the change and any potential modifications requested by Council.

Please indicate in the submission form if you’d like to speak on your submission in person at the hearings, which will be held later this year.

Click here to view form.