Housing in a tight spot
In a town bordered by swamps, hills and highways, a growing Blenheim only has one way to sprawl – into the ‘‘best soil in the country’’; land already watched over by wishful wine companies.
But fertile land of farms and vineyards has been rezoned for residential development, around the Cherryland orchard beside the Westwood shopping centre, on State Highway 6, and along Old Renwick Rd.
As Blenheim’s housing shortage peaks, town planners expect the rezoned land will be enough to meet demand for the next 20 years – provided landowners are willing to sell, and developers prepared to buy.
Bruce Rogerson said he was already fielding inquiries about his property on Old Renwick Rd, from developers looking to build near the leafy suburb of Springlands.
‘‘We’ve got quite a bit of land here, and in landbanking terms this area is quite valuable,’’ Rogerson said.
But his neighbour Myra Sandall dreads the sprawl of Blenheim towards her farm on Blicks Lane, just outside the new growth zone.
‘‘There’s very good soil here. I just think it’s a waste. We should be saving the land that’s good for growing things, and rezone land that’s not so good instead,’’ Sandall said.
‘‘But I guess we’re expecting them to pull land out of a hat ... the town is growing, and I guess there has to be balance sometimes.’’
Marlborough’s 47,340 residents had grown by about 3300 people since the 2013 Census.
The region became a ‘‘medium growth’’ area under national urban legislation, which meant the Marlborough District Council had to actively monitor the housing stock and prices.
But a shortage of sections available for new builds had slowed building activity in the last year, with fewer consents issued
and new subdivisions running out of sections.
Two other blocks were also rezoned residential in the final copy of the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan released on Thursday; one on Alabama Rd opposite Mitre 10, and one off the intersection of New Renwick Rd and Battys Rd.
Strategic planner Emma Toy said last year she calculated the available land to meet demand for new sections about 26 years.
Blenheim’s growth was constrained by liquefaction-prone land to the east and the Wither Hills Farm Park to the south, so northwest was the only option for further expansion, she said.
However, a proposed national policy protecting valuable arable land from urbanisation would likely prevent Blenheim’s boundaries from expanding any further, she said.
Toy urged developers to consider smaller, affordable homes as Blenheim had an oversupply of large family-sized homes, while the average household size was 2.2 people.
‘‘Blenheim’s housing supply will not meet demand long term,’’ Toy said.
‘‘It really is a guessing game ... but it would be smart to start thinking about better urban design in town.’’
Apartments were an effective way to increase urban density in town, as well as ‘‘infill’’, or subdividing off a front or back yard into a second section, Toy said.
‘‘Especially with the growth in the retirement age population, slightly more intensive development in town, close to services and amenities, might become more popular,’’ Toy said.
Summit Marlborough sales manager Nadine Thomas agreed infill could ease what she called a ‘‘constipated’’ housing sector in Marlborough.
‘‘I use that word because nobody’s moving. They want to move from where they are, but they can’t find anything to go to. It’s a vicious cycle,’’ she said.
‘‘Demand is obviously outstripping supply, that’s why we’re stuck in that constipated place. It’s frustrating for the salespeople in town because we’ve limited stock, but it’s a good thing for people selling because they’re getting premium prices.’’
Marlborough needed more houses of all types and sizes, and many buyers were just waiting for the right house to come along, Thomas said.
‘‘The people who want to downsize to something upmarket with all the bells and whistles, close to the CBD, they don’t want to go to the subdivisions so they’re just sitting tight. And the people who want to upgrade to those four-bedroom family homes can’t buy them, because they’re not becoming available. They’re stuck sitting in their 70s or 80s three-bedroom houses. And they’re the homes which have good demand from first-home buyers.
First National Marlborough branch manager Angela Bowers said housing in the new subdivisions was too expensive for the ‘‘average mum and dad market’’ because of the increasing cost to the developer of subdividing.
‘‘I think the council needs to relax the costs on subdividing ... The cost of the land is putting it out of the price bracket for people to build on.’’