Southern View: March 23, 2023
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4<br />
Thursday <strong>March</strong> <strong>23</strong> 20<strong>23</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> 20<strong>23</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 20<strong>23</strong>. Detailed information about the plan changes and everything you<br />
need to make your submission is available at ccc.govt.nz/growingcity