Consultation on housing intensification starts

Kāpiti Coast District Council is consulting until 5pm 15 September on proposed changes to the District Plan aimed at improving the housing supply and urban vibrancy.

District Planning Manager Jason Holland said proposed Plan Change 2 implements government direction to enable more intensive housing in urban and residential areas across Kāpiti. It also includes proposals to:

• enable higher building heights and increased density within walkable catchments of urban centres
• enable papakāinga housing developments
• rezone as residential some small parcels of land within or near existing urban areas
• incorporate updated requirements for subdivision and development infrastructure design and construction into the District Plan
• clarify the financial contributions provisions in the District Plan.

As part of implementing government direction to enable medium density housing, the proposed plan change also specifies “qualifying matters” which are reasons to limit building heights or density. Most qualifying matters are already in the District Plan. 

“The District Plan will keep existing protections for historic heritage, notable trees, and indigenous vegetation. We have also added new policies for developments in our ‘special character’ areas that will need a resource consent, requiring them to recognise those areas’ valued characteristics,” Mr Holland said.

The plan change also provides for three new qualifying matters which are:

• a ‘coastal qualifying matter precinct’ for areas identified as susceptible to coastal erosion. This maintains the current level of development allowed in the District Plan until management of coastal hazards is addressed through a future coastal plan change.
• recognising Kārewarewa Urupā as a wāhi tapu site. Without this, the urupā at Waikanae Beach could be subject to more intensive housing development.
• a ‘Marae Takiwā Precinct’ that limits intensification around marae in recognition of their cultural significance and tikanga.

Mr Holland said the proposed plan change aligns with the Council’s recently adopted Growth Te Tupu Pai and Housing strategies and the Long-term Plan.

“Enabling more medium density housing and higher development in local and town centres will ultimately help address the housing shortage. Done well, this will bring greater convenience, housing choice, and vibrancy to our urban centres.

“It will allow our district to cope well with projected growth of more than 30,000 more residents within the next 30 years and will contribute to the more than 16,000 additional houses needed to accommodate this growth.

To meet Government direction the plan change will enable property owners to build up to three storeys on most residential sites, with taller building heights enabled in and around centres, and around the train stations at Paekākāriki, Paraparaumu and Waikanae. Specifically, the plan change proposes to enable building heights:

• up to 12-storeys within the Metropolitan Centre Zone at Paraparaumu;
• up to 6-storeys within an 800m (10 minute) walkable catchment of the Metropolitan Centre Zone, and the train stations at Paekākāriki, Paraparaumu and Waikanae;
• up to 6-storeys within the Town Centre Zone at Ōtaki, Ōtaki Railway, Waikanae, Paraparaumu Beach and Raumati Beach;
• up to 4-storeys within the Local Centre Zone at Waikanae Beach, Kena Kena, Mazengarb Road, Meadows and Raumati South (6-storeys is enabled in Paekākāriki Local Centre Zone because it is located within 800m of Paekākāriki station); and
• up to 4-storeys within a 400m walkable catchment of the Town Centre Zone, and a 200m walkable catchment of the Local Centre Zone

“Concerns about Government-mandated intensification can be partially managed with careful planning, appropriate policies, and good design,” he said. To assist with this, the proposed plan change includes new design guides to promote high-quality urban design in developments that require resource consent. The plan change also proposes to bring into the District Plan an updated version of Council’s infrastructure design standards, to be known as Land Development Minimum Requirements.

Direct engagement with mana whenua and stakeholders, as well as public feedback on a draft version of the plan change earlier in the year had led to a number of improvements to the policies, provisions and design guides, Mr Holland said.

The anonymised submissions from consultation on the draft version of the plan change, and Council’s responses, are on the Council website in the proposed plan change 2 report in the Council meeting agenda for 28 July 2022.

Consultation on proposed Plan Change 2 runs until 5pm on Thursday 15 September 2022. To find out more and make a submission go to kapiticoast.govt.nz/district-plan.