A draft response to matters raised in letters from the Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds on the Otago Regional Council’s Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP), should be completed in the next week.

Chief executive Richard Saunders told the meeting yesterday the draft response would then be brought back to an extraordinary council meeting within a fortnight.

Minister Penny Simmonds wrote to the council twice over the past six weeks asking for a breakdown of costs associated with aspects of the LWRP, after concerns from the primary sector, and district councils regarding wastewater treatment disposal plans.

Richard said there had been changes made since that point, which would be outlined to the minister in the letter.

Staff have also indicated a willingness to meet with the minister to discuss the issues raised in the letter and provide some clarity on the content of the draft plan.

But some councillors raised concerns about why they couldn’t review the letter now and add their input to it, saying council was "cutting it short.”

“I’m always open to receiving emails on this,” Richard told the meeting.

He said the plan remained on track to meet the notification date of October 31, but requests for additional legal advice had placed additional pressure on the programme.

The council was also seeking an independent review of technical aspects of the draft plan, and regional councillors would see the first draft at a workshop on September 17.

Richard highlighted the fact that the two workshops for councillors (the second being in October), were not decision-making forums.

Council will make its decision on the LWRP on October 23, a week before it was due to be notified.

Chair Gretchen Robertson said the LWRP development remained front of everyone’s mind.