Look and feel of Christchurch multi-unit developments under review

1 August 2007

In response to increasing public criticism about poor quality design in some higher-density developments, the Christchurch City Council is reviewing the look and feel of multi-unit developments in its Living 3 (L3) and Living 4 (L4) zones.

The L3 and L4 higher-density zones typically sit within the four avenues, St Albans, Spreydon, Addington, Upper Riccarton, Richmond and Linwood.

Public consultation opened on Monday with brochures entitled: “Looking at options for Christchurch’s Multi-unit Developments” being made available at all City Council service centres and libraries, and on line on the Have Your Say page of the www.ccc.govt.nz site for people to feedback their views.  The brochures have also been sent to all residents associations within L3 & L4 zones, architects, planners, and developers.

Consultation closes on Monday 17 September, 2007.

Council Senior Planner Maurice Roers says that concerns expressed over the last 10 years around L3 and L4 zones are partially in response to the increased density of building on the edge of the inner city, and the perceived poor levels of design of recent developments in these areas.

“With the Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy (UDS) having highlighted that we need to intensify central city housing to allow for a projected 549,000 people by 2041, we need to consider how best to meet that need.

“The proposed plan changes need to be flexible enough to allow such multi-unit developments that fit the character of its neighbourhood whilst providing a good mix of housing. Feedback on how that can be made possible is really important in this stage of the process,” Mr Roers says.

The brochure identifies issues surrounding the L3 and L4 zones, and the options Council is considering to address the issues. 

For more detailed information on L3 and L4 zones, two separate Issues and Options papers – one on L3 and the other on L4 - are also available at Service Centres and Libraries for reference only.  Electronic copies of these are also available for viewing on-line through the Have Your Say page.

Feedback received will be incorporated into an assessment prepared in accordance with the Resource Management Act to provide the basis for any likely changes to the L3 and L4 zone provisions in the City Plan. Any proposed City Plan changes must be publicly notified so the public get another say through submissions on whether they agree or disagree.

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