Merivale residents fear an Airbnb takeover
Residents in an affluent Christchurch suburb are outraged by plans to build two high-density housing developments on already congested streets.
They fear the developments in Merivale Lane and Leinster Rd in Merivale will lead to the ‘‘touristification’’ of their neighbourhood, if snapped up by Airbnb-type operators.
The residents are also concerned the buildings are being considered and approved under residential zoning rules, without neighbours being notified or allowed to have any input, when they should be considered as commercial operations.
However, Williams Corporation, which plans to build an 18-unit, two-storey complex on Merivale Lane, said the development was not a commercial one.
The company was telling buyers that Merivale was not the right place to operate Airbnb properties, managing director Matthew Horncastle said.
However, Merivale Lane residents’ spokesman Karl Smith said there was no way Williams Corp could guarantee the homes would not be run as Airbnbs.
‘‘Imagine your own neighbourhood one day where you have two sets of neighbours next door, then wham Williams Corporation slams in 18 flat-pack units/boxes instead . . . They will add significant noise and added congestion, increasing hazards and compromising safety on our lane.’’
Smith said residents were not against intensification of the area, but believed six to eight owneroccupier townhouses were appropriate, not 18. They have hired a lawyer to find out their rights.
Two schools and a pre-school were also situated on the road and Selwyn House School board chairman Richard Fry said the board was concerned the development could risk student safety.
It will encompass three sections where two homes are situated and includes mostly twobedroom units and a small number of one- and three-bedroom units. They are priced from $450,000 for a 56-square-metre unit to $759,000 for a 96sqm home. There will be 16 car parks.
Horncastle said 17 of the units had sold on the first day and they were going to first-home buyers, downsizers and investors looking for long-term rentals.
Only 10 per cent of the units it built in Christchurch were being run as Airbnbs and the majority of those were in the central city.
‘‘We actually say to our customers we do not think Merivale is the correct place to have Airbnb. Airbnb is for travellers and travellers want to live in the central city,’’ he said.
Building eight units on the site would not meet the company’s objective of producing affordable, high-quality housing, he said.
‘‘We should be celebrating that we now have affordable houses in Merivale.’’
‘‘We actually say to our customers we do not think Merivale is the correct place to have Airbnb.’’ Matthew Horncastle
Williams Corporation
The District Plan was changed about four years ago to encourage infill developments in parts of the city.
Auckland-based Titus Group has already sold all the 19 units it plans to build on a back section of Leinster Rd.
Neighbours Murray and Sandra Greig, aged 80 and 78, were shocked to find out about the consented development through a real estate agent’s column in a local newsletter.
The complex replaces two homes and access is via a driveway running the length of their property. But they were not consulted as commissioner David Mountfort decided any potential effects were less than minor.
Sandra Greig said the back section was not appropriate for so many properties and there were already problems with the sewer being blocked on the street.
Titus Group director Philip Heslop said the proposal conformed with all the objectives of the District Plan zone as a permitted activity.