The Thames-Coromandel District Council is inviting public feedback on its newly rewritten Fires in the Open Bylaw.

The proposed bylaw allows council to set and enforce different fire seasons and bans within areas classified as ‘urban' by the New Zealand Fire Service, plus other rules to promote fire safety.

The Thames-Coromandel District Council is inviting public feedback on its newly rewritten Fires in the Open Bylaw. Photo: File

If you are not within an ‘urban' area, the rules around what you can and can't do are set by either the Thames Valley Rural Fire Authority or the Department of Conservation.

A couple of important changes have been made to the bylaw to not only make it more realistic for communities but also more enforceable for council.

'Under the previous bylaw, we were all required to have a permit for any and all fires in the open within our district because we were always either under a restricted fire season or a total fire ban,” explains council.

'That requirement also applied to fireworks, which are a fire in the open, and outdoor fireplaces.”

But under the proposed bylaw, permits would not be required in urban areas for permanent, safe, outdoor fireplaces meeting the criteria in the bylaw – but they must have a chimney with a spark arrestor and a non-combustible hearth.

While the proposed rules around fireworks fall into the ‘don't be a bad neighbour' category, adds council.

'As long as you're being safe and not causing a nuisance to neighbours, no permit is required in urban areas unless we're in a prohibited fire season – when no fires in the open are permitted due to the extreme fire risk.”

Public consultation on the draft bylaw opened on Monday and will close on Wednesday, May 11.

Council will consider a final Fires in the Open Bylaw for adoption in August 2016 and any new rules will come into effect in September 2016.

Until adopted the current rules will apply.

To learn how to make a submission, the full text of the draft bylaw or if it applies to you visit the Thames-Coromandel District Council's consultation portal.

For more information on the current fire rules visit: www.tcdc.govt.nz/fire