High density plan changes decision

The decision on the plan change package collectively known as the ‘high density plan changes’ will be notified this week, Queenstown Lakes District Council senior planning analyst-housing Scott Figenshow said.

“The council is notifying its decision on Plan Changes 6, 8 and 10. An executive summary is being mailed to all submitters this week with a CD containing the full decisions,” Mr Figenshow said.

They are also available on the council website at www.qldc.govt.nz

The plan changes in brief are:

• Plan Change 6 relates to the width of access ways serving residential units, and seeks to ensure that the width of access ways to residential properties is appropriately designed for current and future use. A key feature of the change is the introduction of new assessment matter to provide for consideration of reduced access widths as part of alternative development styles such as new urbanism.
• Plan Change 8 relates to the requirement for the provision of car parking spaces on a site, and seeks to ensure that the District Plan includes requirements relating to minimum carparking space numbers, to ensure that current and future residents and visitors have sufficient on-site parking space for their own vehicles. The aim of the plan change is to align the District Plan requirements for carparking spaces with the actual parking demands for residential and visitor accommodation development. A key feature of the decision is to set the required number of parking spaces at 1.5 per residential unit, comprised of 1.25 for the unit and 0.25 for visitors or staff. This is a change from the 2 spaces per unit originally notified in the plan change.
• Plan Change 10 concerned improvements to the amenity values of the High Density Residential Zone, located within the Queenstown and Wanaka urban areas, and amended the District Plan in relation to objectives and policies, new sub-zones, changes to activity status, introduction of new rules, and changes to bulk, location and appearance standards. 

The Plan Change 10 decision suggested that council undertook further work on the matter of subzones in the High Density zone.

“The identification of further activity-based sub zones is underway, as part of preparing Plan Change 23: Visitor Accommodation and Residential Amenity,” Mr Figenshow said.

The aim of that project was to identify those parts of the HDR zone which should be predominantly residential (i.e. visitor accommodation should be restricted) and those which should be developed predominantly for visitor accommodation (i.e. where visitor accommodation would be allowed in the District Plan).

“A further outcome of the project is to identify areas within the HDR zone which can absorb greater height (and/ or greater density),” Mr Figenshow said.

The process to date had involved undertaking an ‘on-the-ground character assessment’ of the current High Density Residential zones; mapping relevant information (such as transportation, walkability, views, existing uses, existing built character, and redevelopment potential); and holding a charrette which brought together professionals to determine draft sub zones.

The outcome of the charrette was currently being compiled into a discussion document which, it was anticipated, would be made available to the public as part of consultation on Plan Change 23: Visitor Accommodation and Residential Amenity, likely to occur in February 2008.

“As it was mentioned by submitters during the high density plan changes hearing, there is a public desire for ‘integrated planning’ efforts by the council. This next plan change will continue to achieve just that,” Mr Figenshow said.

The high density plan changes were now subject to appeal by submitters, the appeal period would end 30 November, 2007.