Housing plan for Pioneer Hwy
A Palmerston North property bounded by Pioneer Highway and Church St is being considered for the city’s first multi-storey housing complex.
Old homes on five sections on Pioneer Highway next to the Mobil petrol station are being demolished and the city council has received an application to build 46 units in five blocks on the property.
Acting head of planning services Craig Auckram said in response to a councillor’s request on behalf of a neighbour that the proposal was the first of its kind since the council reviewed District Plan rules for the residential zone two years ago.
The area was one of those identified as suitable for multiunit housing.
However, consent was far from automatic and the application had to be assessed.
A decision on how much the proposed development would affect neighbours and whether to call for submissions had not been made yet.
The council was also still waiting for more detail about stormwater management.
Planners have agreed to meet with some of the neighbours likely to be affected today to discuss what is being proposed.
Palmerston North’s changes to the District Plan and the city development strategy have identified the need to use land within the existing urban footprint to the city to provide a greater range of housing options. ‘‘Despite considerable new house building activity, the types of housing being provided will not meet changing demographics and needs,’’ the strategy said.
‘‘[The] council needs to be much more responsive in how it provides land for housing.’’
Over the past two decades, most new housing had been provided through greenfield developments, infill subdivisions and lifestyle blocks.
Other options allowed under the revised District Plan included multi-unit developments close to the city centre and suburban centres, where there was already good pedestrian access to services and facilities.
In its strategy the council said it would work with developers to encourage styles of housing complexes that were so far reasonably unfamiliar for the city.
Another site being eyed for multi-storey, medium-density housing was the Huia St Reserve on the corner of Park Rd and Fitzherbert Ave. The council’s finance and performance committee will on Monday consider calling for public submissions on starting the process to release the reserve land for housing.
Old homes on five sections on Pioneer Highway are being demolished.