Public views sought on more houses at Aokautere
Published on 08 August 2022
We’re asking Palmy residents to have their say on how Aokautere may grow in the future.
With the lack of affordable housing nationwide starting to hit home, we are looking to open up more land to build on. To do this we’re consulting on proposed changes to our District Plan that would rezone a large piece of mainly rural land at Aokautere to residential.
The proposed plan seeks to open enough land for around a thousand new homes, of various types and sizes, with an easy-to-reach village centre for local shops and services. It would also ensure protection of the existing gully network and other ecologically important habitats by zoning them as conservation and amenity areas.
We’re holding a month-long public consultation from Monday 8 August to 5 September, to seek community feedback
Anyone can make a submission during this time. A drop-in session will be held at the IPU Recreation Centre on Sunday 14 August to discuss the proposed changes.
Aokautere has been identified as a growth area for decades, with land rezoned for development in the 1990s mostly now built on.
Council’s Chief Planning Officer, David Murphy, says the lack of a structure plan at the time meant some of this development occurred in an ad-hoc manner with poor connectivity.
“The proposed plan change is designed to give residents a pleasant, easily walkable neighbourhood, with local shops and services provided at a new village centre. It also includes lots of green spaces for people to enjoy, better transport options like bus routes and cycleways, and a range of different housing types.”
He says Council is aware of issues around transport in the area.
“We know work will need to be done to improve roads before further development occurs, so an important part of the new plan is improving transport safety to address existing issues and to cater for new residents and businesses establishing. This includes upgrades to State Highway 57, so we’ll be working closely with Waka Kotahi - New Zealand Transport Agency on that.”
New government planning and density rules mean city councils across New Zealand have to open up land to boost housing supply. Mr Murphy says designing our own plans to choose appropriate areas for new housing means Palmy can manage growth and make sure new neighbourhoods are well connected and of good quality.
Murphy says designing our own plans to choose appropriate areas for new housing means Palmy can manage growth while ensuring new neighbourhoods are well connected and of good quality.
He also says people don’t need to worry that future development will happen all at once.
“Council’s role is to address land supply and provide infrastructure to enable growth. How and when houses get built will be up to individual landowners and developers. These things tend to take a number of years and happen in stages."
Murphy is keen for the local community to get involved by making a submission during the public consultation period.
“No one knows the area better than people who live or spend time there regularly. It’s this in-depth knowledge that can help us proceed in a way that keeps the community and identity of Aokautere front and centre.”
We’re also asking for submissions on the possible use of Adderstone Reserve for housing
As part of the options considered for the plan change, we’ll also be asking for public submissions on the possible use of part of Adderstone Reserve, in Aokautere, for housing. Repurposing part of this reserve is a separate process under the Reserves Act. We’re running both consultations at the same time.
For more information on the Aokautere Growth plan go to: pncc.govt.nz/Aokautere