THE LATEST

UDS newsletter #2 [PDF 730 kb]

BACKGROUND

The Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy (UDS) covers the city and adjacent parts of Selwyn and Waimakariri districts (see map).

The UDS covers the most heavily-populated part of the Selwyn District, taking in all the towns and small communities that are within about 30 kilometres of the city boundary - places like West Melton, Rolleston Springston, Lincoln, Prebbleton and a number of smaller communities (see map).

Selwyn has been growing at a rapid rate, and that growth is projected to continue.

The strategy will manage this growth in a sustainable way by prescribing a settlement pattern for residential, commercial, business and lifestyle block growth up to at least the year 2026.  

In summary, the Strategy:

• Reinforces the Selwyn communities' desire to maintain their uniqueness and individual character;

• Encourages townships to become more self-sufficient, without attempting to duplicate the range of facilities that are in the city;

• Provides a mandate for District Plan changes through a change to the Regional Policy Statement that reflects the Strategy[1];

• Sets a broad framework for growth within which Council can facilitate market driven township growth through mechanisms such as structure plans (also known as outline development plans);

• Reinforces the Council policy of the I-zone Southern Business Hub being the main industrial centre in the District, and encourages vibrant town centres in West Melton, Rolleston and Lincoln through a range of mechanisms;

• Sets density targets to encourage a full range of section sizes in a township to accommodate all ages and the increase of single person households.  An initial target density of 15 houses per hectare was reduced to 10 through negotiation with Partners, so as to maintain sections that are more spacious than elsewhere, as this is a feature of the Selwyn District. Density targets will be averaged across the whole township to allow higher density for activities such as housing for the elderly.

• Encourages new growth to be designed in a manner that encourages connections to the existing township;

• Confirms the development of Living 2 zoning which provides for rural residential subdivision (i.e. allotments of 0.5 ha to 2 ha), on the edge of townships. 

Further information, including full text and a summary document of the draft Strategy, can be found at www.greaterchristchurch.org.nz