Rolleston to get 3500 more homes after Environment Court sides with Carter Group

Friday, 8 November 2024

Rolleston West will soon see thousands of new homes built after the Carter Group and Selwyn council agreed to the terms and conditions. (File photo)

The Environment Court has sided with a Canterbury developing titan to open up Rolleston land for thousands of new houses after being blocked by the local council for years.

West Rolleston Primary School principal Sylvia Fidow wants to see speed limits changed around the school. Fidow also says more safety measures are needed, such as crossings, lights and footpaths.

Selwyn District Council announced on Thursday it came to a “mediated agreement” with Rolleston West Residential Limited, under the Carter Group, for almost 3500 homes to be built in Rolleston West after the decisions to block the developments were appealed at the Environment Court.

It means the group’s Rolleston West Residential Development chosen by the Government under the new Fast Track Bill, which could have seen 4200 homes and four commercial and community centres, will be cut back by about 700 homes.

For five years Selwyn District Council has blocked the Carter Group from trying to get multiple sites west of Dunns Crossing Rd rezoned for housing and industrial developments.

This map shows plan change requests made by Carter Group. PC81 and PC82 are recommended to be declined by a commissioner, while PC73 has already been declined by the council, though Carter Group is appealing.Rolleston subdivision proposals.

The group has tried and failed to have land bordering Dunns Crossing Rd rezoned for three projects which would see at least 3420 homes and two commercial centres built across 298 hectares in Rolleston West since 2020.

Pushback from the council following recommendations from an independent commissioner meant the developments remained on ice and under appeal, until mediation in August.

The Environment Court released its decision on October 31 for the land to be rezoned to general residential.

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Tim Carter of the Carter Group said the team was “very pleased with the decision”.

“For many years the Selwyn district had the highest growth rate in the country.

“There has been a lack of residential land for housing in Rolleston and, with high demand continuing, we look forward to increasing the section supply and building options for people wanting to live in Rolleston.”

The council’s chief executive director for development and growth Robert Love said the agreement will allow the council to meet its requirements to provide land for 30 years of growth without impacting highly productive land and working with infrastructure upgrades.

Sylvia Fidow, the principal of West Rolleston Primary School, which is wedged in between the developments, said she had “grave concerns” about the future of the children at her school.

“We’re at full capacity, we want to provide the best education we can for our children, but we need more schools and less houses.”

Rolleston College’s principal Rachel Skelton is waiting on the first stage of her second campus to be complete, but Rolleston will need another high school to service its community regardless of the new development.

A new primary school, Te Rau Horopito, is across the road from one of the newly rezoned sections. Once it opens in 2026 it will be one of three primary schools in Rolleston West supporting almost 3000 pupils.

Fidow said issues around traffic volume and children’s safety heading to and from school needed to be taken into account.

Multiple safety upgrades, traffic lights and a roundabout on Dunns Crossing Rd were stripped from the council’s long-term plan after the Government denied funding requests. However, under the agreement the developer will fund a variety of safety upgrades.

Rolleston College’s principal Rachel Skelton said more education infrastructure was critical if more homes were built.

Selwyn’s mayor Sam Broughton says the Government needs to step up to assist with infrastructure funding. (File photo)

“The thing that I struggle with the most is the growth isn’t unforeseen, all of these developments eventually go through.

“They need to complete the second [Rolleston College] campus, and then build another school, you can’t just keep building primary schools.“

Skelton said the Government needed to step up and grow the district’s amenities so people had not just new homes, but well resourced communities.

Selwyn’s mayor Sam Broughton said the council expected the Government to fork out funding for the infrastructure required to support the growing community such as policing, health services, education and public housing.

Broughton said Selwyn was the fastest growing district in the country with an “extremely high demand” for housing.

“Our council wants to ensure that future growth is planned responsibly and sustainably, and the Government expects us to have 30 years of zoned land available for development.”

Work wouldn’t begin on the state highway end of the rezoned area until a roundabout was installed to avoid additional pressure on the roading network, Broughton said.