Availability of Vacant Residential Land

Total Vacant Residential Land

Christchurch City has a fluctuating stock of vacant land zoned for residential purposes. The amount and composition of this land is constantly changing as the City expands to accommodate it’s growing population.

 

At June 1996, there was a total of 1,026.5 ha, of vacant residential land within the City, consisting of 2,925 vacant lots (278.4 ha), 589.3 ha of undeveloped land and 158.7 ha of land with potential for development. The majority of the vacant land is on the Port Hills (422.3 ha) and in the North East of the City (338.1 ha). As expected, there is very little vacant land available within the Inner City (17.576 ha) (Table 1.17 and Figure 1.31 Vacant Land Map).

 

Take-up of Vacant Residential Land

Vacant land take-up refers to the amount of land removed from the register through building development, and the creation of roads and reserves. Take-up for the 1995/96 year was 87.8 ha, this is a slight increase on the 1994/95 year when 81.4 ha of vacant land was ‘taken up’. The higher rate of take-up was caused by an increase in land used for roads and reserves.

 

There was a net reduction in the vacant land register of 40.6 ha. This is the difference between the take-up of vacant land for development and the addition of vacant

Table 1.17 Residential Vacant Land Register Area Summary, As At June 1996
Area Unit	Vacant Lot		Undeveloped	Potential for Development	Total Vacant Land
	Number	Area (ha)	(ha)	(ha)	(ha)
North West	335	28.091	27.322	13.249	68.662
South West	359	27.768	23.422	4.466	55.656
Hills	809	103.377	229.693	89.245	422.315
South East	406	36.039	70.614	17.556	124.209
North East	851	70.052	234.290	33.757	338.099
Inner City	165	13.107	4.002	0.467	17.576
Total	2925	278.434	589.343	158.740	1026.516

 

land through plan changes, redevelopment, designations being uplifted and other adjustments to the register.

 

Future Needs

The new City Plan, notified on 24 June 1995, proposes to add an additional 440 ha (net increase)[39] of vacant residential land to the City’s vacant residential land stock. This land will only be added when the City Plan becomes operative. In the mean time a recent study[40] commissioned by the Christchurch City Council in conjunction with the City’s five neighbouring local authorities and the Canterbury Regional Council has shown that the provision of land for urban development, in existing and proposed district plans for Christchurch and neighbouring authorities is inadequate to meet projected needs over the next 10 to 15 years. This shortfall is attributable to the unexpected increase in population growth since the early 1990s which is expected to continue next century and the increased economic activity in the Canterbury region during this period.

 

As a result of this study, a joint working group has been set up including staff from the Christchurch City Council, Hurunui District, Waimakariri District Council, Selwyn District Council and Banks Peninsular District Council and the Canterbury Regional Council. Their ultimate aim is to formulate a long term Urban Development Strategy for Christchurch City and its surrounding districts.

 

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