The Christchurch City Council has decided to ask Minister Chris Bishop for approval to opt out of further housing intensification decisions under Plan Change 14, which relates to the national Medium-Density Residential Standards (MDRS). Here's what's happening;

Why opt out?
Mayor Phil Mauger says MDRS wasn't the best fit for Christchurch, and the council wants to take a different approach to housing intensification. The council believes opting out will allow them to better plan for the city's growth and development.

What does MDRS entail?
MDRS would allow up to three dwellings of up to three storeys to be developed on a property without needing resource consent, if all other rules are met.

Council's decision
The council has approved some Independent Hearings Panel recommendations for further housing intensification, which will provide more medium-density housing zoning around areas like the city centre, Church Corner, Riccarton, and others.

Requirements to opt out:
To opt out, the council needs to zone land for enough commercially viable housing to meet 30 years of expected "high growth" demand, with a 20% buffer. This translates to enabling around 65,600 commercially viable houses in Christchurch.

Next steps
The council's decision takes immediate effect, and they’ll publish an interactive map on their Plan Change 14 webpage to reflect the changes.

They'll also ask the Minister to revisit previous decisions on the city centre walking catchment and Sydenham Mixed Use Zone to enable more housing density around the central city.

The council's goal is to ensure Christchurch has enough housing capacity for the next few decades, while planning wisely for growth and development in the right areas, such as near commercial centres, public transport networks, and infrastructure.

Are you interested in finding out how this affects you? A lot of those who were hoping for some development opportunities that would have applied if CCC had complied with the blanket zonings will be disappointed, however there would appear to be larger parts of some areas now available than what was expected initially under Councils proposals.

Call us now to see what we can do for you – plenty of opportunities are awaiting those with properties in the right place.

Call us now on 0508 787 887 or email us at hello@survus.co.nz or head to the get a quote page and make an enquiry.

From the helpful Team at Survus Land Development Group