Offgrid suggestion to allow more houses

RESIDENTIAL development of the future could be off the grid, Dunedin city councillor Lee Vandervis says.

Improvements had been made in water storage and properties might not need council infrastructure for power and sewerage, he said.

‘‘There are major opportunities with new technology, beyond the grid.’’

However, the city’s district plan was zonebased, rather than needsbased, potentially getting in the way, he said.

Mayor Aaron Hawkins dismissed this as a ‘‘survivalist fantasy’’.

Such ideas tended to be promoted by landsupply libertarians who believed in being allowed to do whatever they liked on their land, he said.

Development still put pressure on the overall system.