Most
of Selwyn
District's rapid population growth is in our
towns, and it has not always resulted in well-designed communities. Recently the Council
signed up to the
Urban Design Protocol, which aims to use urban design to make
towns and cities more successful places. We are now preparing
two urban design guides.
Urban Design
Guides
The first guide
is for low-density subdivisions,
which are the most common type of subdivision in the district.
The other will cover medium-density housing. The guides aim
to:
-
explain to developers, designers and
landowners what the Selwyn District Council expects of new
subdivisions and
-
help them interpret the provisions of
the Selwyn District Plan.
The guides also allow for flexibility in
the consideration of applications for resource consents and can
be used to support changes in District Plan rules
aimed at improving the overall standard of development.
The
Subdivision Design Guide
The
latest draft the
subdivision guide was released in January 2009. It
contains ideas and illustrations for a variety of urban designs,
including solutions to some known Selwyn township problems, such
as:
-
Roads and
pathways that are not always well connected (making journeys longer
than they should be)
-
Roads and
pathways that are sometimes confusing (they are not direct
and the way through is difficult to follow)
-
Streets
designed largely for motor traffic rather than as
places for a variety of purposes (making them less friendly to
children, walkers and cyclists).
-
High fencing
next to roads and footpaths (isolating neighbours and
reducing community security)
-
Limited
housing choice (only larger homes are available)
-
No “sense of place”
(which leads to less care and pride in an area, less
involvement, more vandalism, etc).
The draft guide shows how these problems can be overcome
using a
variety of designs which can make each neighbourhood both more distinctive
and more livable.
The guide is nearly in its final form for
adoption by the Council, pending further feedback from its
target audience - the local developers, designers and land
owners.
The Draft Subdivision Guide
(latest version, January 2009) can be read
here [PDF 3.2 MB]
Medium
Density Housing Guide
Medium density
housing is housing which is packed more densely into the
available land, either as multiple houses on a standard-sized
section or single houses on smaller sections. Such housing can include a variety of
types:
The Council is
considering whether to permit this type of housing in
certain areas near the centre of towns.
Housing of this
type can be very successful and attractive. However, it needs
more careful management than traditional types. A design guide
presents Council’s requirements for developers. It will also
demonstrate how to achieve good outcomes from a development.
Contact: David Hattam on 347 2800 or 318
8338, david.hattam@selwyn.govt.nz
