Karori and Tawa next targets for housing

KARORI and Tawa have been identified as the next targets for housing intensification in Wellington’s suburbs.

Wellington City Council is poised to begin investigating whether more multi-storey housing can be squeezed into the two areas, leaving them with a level of density similar to Mt Victoria and Thorndon.

But while the council is promising the two suburbs will not become home to ‘‘high-rise slums’’, residents warn it could look ‘‘ghastly’’ if not done properly.

In a report that will be discussed by the transport and urban development committee this week, council officers say Karori and Tawa were chosen because they have the ‘‘theoretical’’ land capacity to support increasing housing choice and supply.

‘‘This work will also involve further investigation of constraints in infrastructure and facilities for Karori and Tawa. This may trigger the need for further infrastructure investment,’’ the report said.

Committee chairman Andy Foster said it could take years to finalise a new set of planning provisions for medium-density development, then several more years for those provisions to translate into new housing.

‘‘There’s been some fairly dramatic things said about high-rise slums but that’s not what we’re about . . . we don’t want people to just slap up any old thing.’’

Foster said the vision was to intensify housing near shopping areas and public transport.

The council wanted to make sure it had enough homes to cope with the an expected population boom in the 55-plus age group over the short-to-medium term.

That age group was keen to live close to shops and public transport, but did not necessarily want to leave the suburbs, he said.

Paul Barker, of the Creswick Valley Residents’ Association, which represents Karori, Northland and Kelburn, said if the plan was designed and planned well, residents may be open to the idea of intensified housing.

‘‘But any developments that aren’t well managed can put pressure on existing facilities, and the roading network [in Karori] can be quite stressed at times.’’

He saw a danger of developments encroaching even further into green and open spaces.

‘‘If poorly done, it can be bloody awful. You can end up with ghastly developments that just drive up costs.’’

Karori and Tawa are the second two suburbs to be progressed as growth areas, after the council opted to go with Johnsonville and Kilbirnie in the first instance.

Council officers plan to consult with the Karori and Tawa communities sequentially, in March and April.