Christchurch City Councillors are being asked to approve changes to the district plan on September 13 without an evaluation being done on the plan that could allow up to 5 million people to live in a much shadier Christchurch.
Residents’ groups research shows the new one-size-fits-all urban planning rules could impose 79 per cent more shade on properties in Christchurch, compared with homes in Auckland.
According to the groups (and St Albans Residents Association is one of these) the three to 10 (or more) storey residential buildings proposed will block sunlight to a far greater extent in Christchurch than in any other major city in the country. The sun is lower in Christchurch than it is in Auckland and this dramatic difference has never been acknowledged or considered by the government.
The most significant planning change ever seen in Christchurch will enable housing to accommodate up to 5 million people, despite the Council’s own projections showing a population increase of just 125,000 is likely by 2050.
The Associations say the law requires plan changes of this magnitude to have gone through an evaluation. They say the Resource Management Act states the Council must not notify such a plan change without sufficient evaluation, something that has never been done or provided to councillors.
Council staff acknowledged the need for this in the Council’s agenda (4.9 CCC Meeting Agenda 8 September 2022) for PC14 which stated: “Staff recommend against the Council notifying changes to the District Plan that are unsupported by the evaluation that is required by the RMA.”
The Victoria Neighbourhood Association (VNA) deputation asked, at the meeting on September 8, if such an evaluation had been seen by councillors. The answer given was, no. Councillors are being asked to notify these planning changes at the meeting on 13 September (adjourned from last week) without a social impact evaluation being done.
VNA spokesperson Geoff Banks says the people of Christchurch need to understand that the Councillors are about to vote on a significant plan change without knowing the impacts. He says the government’s “one size fits all” approach to intensification will enable uncontrolled damaging development in our city, as well as create inequality.
(edited version of a media release from the residents associations)
