Introducing medium density housing in Selwyn

The Selwyn District Council is consulting with residents on new housing intensification rules, which will allow for more housing and at greater heights in relevant residential areas in Rolleston, Lincoln and Prebbleton.

The Council will publicly notify mandatory variations to the Proposed Selwyn District Plan and to eight private plan changes to the Operative Selwyn District Plan on Saturday 20 August.

The variations are required following the Government’s introduction of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) 2020 and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021.

The Government legislation brings in new rules requiring five of the largest urban environments in New Zealand – including parts of Selwyn – to enable an increase in housing supply by introducing a new Medium Density Residential Zone in relevant areas.

Within this zone, new medium density residential standards will allow landowners to build up to three buildings at a maximum of three storeys high without requiring a resource consent.

In Selwyn, the Council is proposing to rezone the following land to Medium Density Residential Zone:

• The existing General Residential Zones in Rolleston, Lincoln and Prebbleton.
• Land covered by the following private plan changes (PC): PC68 and PC72 in Prebbleton, PC69 in Lincoln and PC71, PC75, PC76 and PC78 in Rolleston. These are private plan changes that have already gone through public consultation and the Council has made a decision on. (Note: the land covered by PC73 in Rolleston will not be included in the variation to the Proposed District Plan, but will be subject to a variation to the private plan change.)
• The Housing Accords and Special Housing Area and COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) areas in Rolleston.
• Land on six different sites within the Future Development Area that are in between existing residential and private plan change areas in Rolleston.

The new standards will have immediate legal effect from the date of notification on 20 August 2022. This means developers and landowners will have the option to apply the density standards to current residential land in Rolleston, Prebbleton and Lincoln from this date.

The changes set out by the Government to encourage housing supply are not optional, however, the consultation gives people the chance to shape the details of what is affected, says Council Group Manager Development and Growth Tim Harris.

“While there are legal requirements we have to meet, there is an opportunity for people to have their say on how these rules are applied in their area.

People can make a submission about new land that is proposed to be rezoned from rural to residential. There are also places that the Council can deem inappropriate to have the medium density standards applied. That includes to protect significant infrastructure, or the history, cultural or ecological value of a place. That is something we want to hear from local communities on.”

To help the public understand these variations and what they can cover in their submissions, people can also contact a free Friend of a Submitter service, provided by the Ministry for the Environment. Contact Jane West at selwynmdrs@jwest.co.nz or call (03) 324 3324.