Residents call for immediate halt to ‘unnecessary’ housing intensification plans

Friday, 22 September 2023

This composite image shows two views of Matai St West, from Straven Rd towards Mona Vale. The one on the left is now and the other is an artist’s impression of the proposed intensification.

Residents’ associations across Christchurch are calling for an immediate stop to a city-wide intensification plan that provides enough space for housing for the next 150 years.

But the Christchurch City Council says it legally can not stop or slow the process, only the Government or the independent hearings panel can.

Twenty-one residents’ associations have jointly sent a letter to council chief executive Dawn Baxendale expressing concern the council is now recommending higher levels of intensification in Christchurch.

The proposals will provide an additional 627,600 houses and if 4000 homes are built each year, it would give the city 158 years of housing supply.

The associations believe this is “totally unnecessary, unfair, and a massive over-enabling that would give free rein to builders and developers to change the face and social fabric on the city”.

Ten-storey buildings for suburbs

The council went out to public consultation earlier this year on a plan that included allowing six-storey (22m) buildings within 600m of main shopping areas in Hornby, Papanui, and Riccarton.

But last month staff said that they would instead recommend 10-storey buildings, 32m high, within the three main shopping areas. They also recommended 22m-high buildings, 800m from the edge of those main shopping areas.

In Shirley, Linwood and north Halswell, buildings up to 22m within 600m of the main shopping centre are proposed.

The associations, led by Tony Simons of Riccarton Bush Kilmarnock Residents’ Association and Geoff Banks of Victoria Neighbourhood Association, are concerned the changes were not notified or publicised, giving residents no time or any opportunity to object.

Only the 1000 people who have already submitted on the earlier proposals can have their say on the new proposals.

“Ratepayers and residents deserve to be treated fairly by government and public agencies,” the letter says.

Hearings are due to start in front of an independent hearings panel next month, but the associations want that process paused to allow time for submitters to present their views on the changes.

The associations have also requested that funding be allocated to assist community submitters to get expert advice.

A 10-storey building in Papanui would have a view similar to this one.

“There is a huge power imbalance when both individual and citizens’ group submitters are forced to rely on lay evidence because they cannot afford to employ experts.”

However, Baxendale told the associations in a written response that while the changes may be seen as significant, they were made in response to submissions.

The council’s advisers did not agree that the changes had raised any “left field” matters.

Baxendale said the council did not have lawful authority to pause or halt the plan change. That was in the control of either the minister or the hearings panel.

“The council understands from the panel’s minutes and comments at the pre-hearing conference that the panel is satisfied it can run a fair and appropriate hearing process within the current time frame.”

The associations also wanted evaluations done into the social, environmental and economic impacts of the intensification.

But, council head of planning and consents John Higgins said an evaluation of the social, environmental and economic impacts had already been carried out.

The Christchurch City Council is proposing to allow 10-storey buildings to be built in these town centre commercial zones (pink areas) in Papanui, Hornby and Riccarton and seven-storey buildings 800m from the edge of the pink zone.

He said a “Friend of Submitters” had been appointed by the Ministry for the Environment to support submitters in preparing for the hearings.

The council also had Community Law Canterbury available to assist during the submissions process.

Higgins said no further funding was allocated at this moment.

Simons said the associations would put their request to the Government and the hearings panel.

Waipuna Halswell Hornby Riccarton Community Board chairperson Helen Broughton also supported the call to pause the process and did not think the council should be making provision for housing 150 years away.

“I don’t think anyone can predict that far out.”

She said the council should plan for at least the next 30 and it already had capacity with existing zoning.

When asked why the council was planning enough housing supply to last 158 years, Higgins said the Government required intensification to occur in certain areas, which resulted in that amount of supply.

The independent hearings panel is due to hold hearings in October, November, January and February. It will then consider all the evidence and make a recommendation to the council in April.

If the council does not accept any of the recommendations, the plan change goes to the environment minister to make a final decision.