More than 2900 submissions made on Wellington's draft housing plan

Monday, 2 November 2020

A variety of views have been submitted to Wellington's draft spatial plan. (File photo)

More than 2900 submissions have been made on Wellington’s draft housing plan.

Public submissions on the draft Spatial Plan closed on October 5 following a series of debates at community meetings and online over heritage, densification and the city's character areas.

The city’s draft plan aims to make room for 50,000 to 80,000 more people and forecasts a shortage of about 12,000 homes.

Wellington mayor Andy Foster, In a statement released on Monday, said a variety of views had come through on the draft spatial plan.

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Outer suburbs such as Kilbirnie will have eight-storey developments as part of Wellington City Council's dramatic draft Spatial Plan. (File photo)

About 2926 individuals and organisations made submissions.

Foster said the plan had sparked major debate mainly over housing densification and where it should happen, and “how we should continue to protect areas of special character in the inner suburbs”.

“It will be up to myself, councillors and staff to work through this and ongoing feedback as we develop a Spatial Plan and then seek to incorporate ideas into a new District Plan,” Foster said.

Mayor Andy Foster says a variety of views have come through on the draft spatial plan. (File photo)

A new survey has found that housing is more of a concern to New Zealanders than the threat of unemployment.

“A further area of discussion has been the implications of the Government’s new National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD)which directs councils to enable intensification in and around city centres and within walkable catchments of rapid transit stops, such as railway stations.

That could mean considerable change for suburbs along railway lines such as Johnsonville. Tawa, Khandallah, Ngaio and Crofton Downs.

Wellington City Council staff are collating and analysing the submissions, which will be used to help make decisions on the Spatial Plan and will be taken to Wellington City Council in March.

It will also influence the city's next District Plan, which would set the rules for the development of the city.

The Spatial Plan will guide the rules in the non-statutory Draft District Plan which will be released for consultation in mid-July 2021. This will involve another engagement process with the public.

The statutory Proposed District Plan will be notified no later than May 2022. Decisions on the proposed District Plan will likely be in mid-2024 after which time there will be an appeals period.

Foster said the plan was in the second of four stages of the council’s Planning for Growth programme.

“There will be some changes to the way the city is zoned – the planning status quo is not a realistic option. But my intention is that the finished District Plan is one that’ll lead to Wellington being an even more attractive and liveable place for thousands of more people.”

Submissions on the Spatial Plan will go online and submitters will also be able to speak to the council on November 4, 18, 19 and 26.