Last-ditch attempt to not delay decisions over housing density
Some councillors have made a last-ditch attempt to get the Christchurch City Council to push ahead with plans to intensify housing across the city this year.
The move was blocked by other councillors, who believed that going ahead “under the cover of darkness” would damage people’s trust and confidence in the council.
The council had been due to make a decision by September on the previous government’s plans to allow three residential buildings of three storeys each across vast parts of the city, without a resource consent, and higher limits in main suburban centres.
However, following the change of Government, the council requested an extension, which was partially approved earlier this year by Housing Minister Chris Bishop.
The Government still expects the council to continue to the original deadline of September 12, to allow for greater heights and densities in and around the city centre, and in suburban centres including Riccarton, Papanui, Linwood, Hornby and Sydenham.
But the extension gives the council until December 12, 2025, to figure out what housing intensification will look like in residential areas beyond those commercial centres.
By that time, the Government is expected to have changed the legislation to make intensification optional outside commercial centres.
The council formally agreed to the new dates at its meeting on Wednesday, but some councillors took the opportunity to push for it to make all the decisions in September – an option ruled out by staff.
Councillor Andrei Moore said the council had contributed to the housing crisis over several years by putting in excessive amounts of red tape and making it harder and more expensive to build homes.
He said Canterbury University enrolments were up, and young people wanted to move to Christchurch, but he believed that this would be short-lived because of the cost of housing.
“While there is a shortage of housing around the uni, our response is, ‘Let’s resist making it more affordable to build housing around the uni’.”
Moore said the process had already taken three years, and the council needed to show leadership and put it to the vote.
Councillor Sara Templeton said splitting the decision would most likely mean the council would end up getting rid of the medium-density standards altogether, because by next year legislation would be in place making it optional.
“That is bad for housing supply.”
She preferred that staff devote their time on a coastal hazards plan change instead.
Councillors Tyrone Fields, Celeste Donovan and Melanie Coker supported Templeton and Moore.
However, the other councillors did not. Councillor Sam MacDonald said the decision to put off density in the wider suburbs would not be popular with developers, but he was OK with this, because communities would be better off.
He was concerned that people were not aware that the council could be voting to push ahead with everything in September – and if they did, they would be in the council chamber.
“I worry about the trust and confidence that would place in council if we were to do that today under the cover of darkness.”
Councillor Mark Peters said that to go forward with the entire decision in September was risky, and hitting the pause button on areas outside the commercial centres was “wisdom”.
Deputy mayor Pauline Cotter said the council previously asked the Government for an exemption from the blanket approach, and it would be giving mixed signals if it did not split the decisions.
The council also decided to make a decision in September on tree canopy cover protections.
The independent hearings panel concluded its public hearings on April 24 and will make its recommendations to council in July.