The Council has told the public it’s now consulting on its “intense housing development” draft plan, despite the rules being directed by the Government.

The Government’s National Policy Statement Urban Development and the Resource Management Amendment Act sets a clear direction on how towns and cities should develop.

In most urban residential zones of the city, the council must enable medium-density housing.

That means people will be allowed to build up to three houses per section, and up to 12 metres (usually three storeys) high, without a resource consent.

The act requires even greater levels of development, both residential and commercial, to be allowed within and near to the central city, suburban commercial centres and mass rapid transit stops.”

The public’ has been given just 4 weeks to make submissions on the plans.

A hierarchy of commercial centres is proposed with different zones around these that will enable increased building height over and above 12 metres.

The highest development is proposed in and around the city centre, followed by Christchurch’s biggest commercial centres, with this gradually reducing out to smaller commercial centres. Resource consent will still most likely be required for development over 12 metres.”

Christchurch City Council General Manager Infrastructure, Planning and Regulatory Services, Jane Davis said “good rationale exists for allowing more intense housing development.”

“Building upwards in and around our commercial centres means there is less demand to grow outwards and build homes and roads on the versatile soils on the fringe of our city. This will help provide a broader range of housing for our changing population.”

“It is also good to have people living close to where they work, where they shop and where they go to school because that will help us to our reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will bring us closer to our goal of Christchurch being carbon neutral by 2045.”

However, she said “we know intensifying housing development across all of Christchurch is not going to deliver the best outcomes for our city. There are pockets of Christchurch which, for one reason or another, are not suitable for the amount of increased housing that is enabled by the recent legislation.”