21.03.2023 Views

Bay Harbour: March 22, 2023

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

20 <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News Wednesday <strong>March</strong> <strong>22</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />

We’re planning for our<br />

growing city<br />

Find out what this means<br />

for your property<br />

Use our interactive map,<br />

learn more, then have your say:<br />

ccc.govt.nz/growingcity<br />

Christchurch’s housing and business development rules are changing<br />

Ōtautahi Christchurch’s population is growing. Over the next 30 years, it’s predicted we’ll need more than 40,000<br />

new houses to ensure everyone has a place to live, and Christchurch City Council is planning for that now.<br />

Our growth challenge<br />

We need to provide for the growth of housing and<br />

business in the best locations in Christchurch, to<br />

help address issues like climate change and housing<br />

shortage. This means more houses where there’s good<br />

access to shops, services, work, school, public transport<br />

networks and infrastructure.<br />

Where there’s good reason, we also need to ensure<br />

development remains restricted or limited to protect<br />

and maintain areas of value.<br />

These changes won’t happen overnight. Over time the<br />

look and feel of the city will change, and we want to plan<br />

for that and keep what people value.<br />

A new direction in urban planning<br />

The planning rules have changed for New Zealand’s main urban areas. We need to<br />

follow the new national direction to allow greater housing and business development<br />

within Christchurch’s existing urban footprint.<br />

There are new national standards for multi-unit housing developments called the<br />

Medium-Density Residential Standards (MDRS). These aim to make it easier for denser<br />

housing developments to happen. Once they come into effect, up to three dwellings<br />

of up to three storeys can be developed on a property in Christchurch without needing<br />

to apply for a resource consent, as long as all other rules have been met.<br />

Not all parts of Christchurch are suitable for the MDRS, so we’re proposing special<br />

rules, called Qualifying Matters, apply to recognise heritage and cultural features, to<br />

protect major utility, infrastructure, and people in areas vulnerable to natural hazards,<br />

among other things.<br />

What we’re proposing<br />

We’re proposing important changes to the city’s planning rulebook, the District Plan, via two plan changes – the Housing and Business Choice<br />

Plan Change (Plan Change 14), and the Heritage Plan Change (Plan Change 13). Both plan changes were formally notified on 17 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2023</strong>.<br />

Replacing some existing residential zones in<br />

the city with two new ones – a Medium-Density<br />

Residential Zone and a High-Density Residential<br />

Zone. The Medium-Density zone is the baseline for<br />

increasing housing in our city. The High-Density<br />

zone would allow apartment buildings and multistorey<br />

flats in the central city.<br />

Increased height limits for residential and<br />

commercial buildings in and around the<br />

central city, suburban centres and along public<br />

transport routes, as well as enabling residential<br />

development in some industrial areas around the<br />

central city and larger suburban centres.<br />

Special rules (Qualifying Matters) to limit greater<br />

development of housing and business under<br />

the MDRS, in order to better reflect our city’s<br />

environment and climate. One proposes changing<br />

recession planes to increase sunlight access from<br />

what would be possible under the MDRS. This<br />

applies citywide and means the MDRS won’t come<br />

into effect for Christchurch until 2024, when Plan<br />

Change 14 is decided on.<br />

Heritage that should be protected, with a number<br />

of new buildings, items and interiors added to<br />

the Schedule of Significant Historic Heritage.<br />

Have your say on our growing city<br />

You can make a submission on the Housing and Business Choice Plan Change (Plan Change 14) and Heritage Plan<br />

Change (Plan Change 13) until 3 May <strong>2023</strong>. Detailed information about the plan changes and everything you<br />

need to make your submission is available at ccc.govt.nz/growingcity

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!