Urban Intensification in Hāwea - a Summary
Summary and Survey
This post provides a summary of the proposed Urban Intensification in Hāwea. We’re keen to hear your views, via this survey (CLICK HERE). Please read the overview, and then come back to this link to fill in the survey. Thank you!
What is being proposed?
The Council is looking, via the Proposed District Plan, to increase intensification of development in Hāwea (and the wider Wanaka area). In Hāwea the Council now wishes to include the area that has recently been zoned residential south of Cemetery Road (Long View including the area yet to be developed) with the following changes :
Low Density Residential:
Reducing minimum lot sizes to 300m2 (from 450m2)
Increasing building height limit to 8m
Medium Density Residential:
Reducing minimum lot sizes to 250m2
Increasing building heigh limit to 12m
Please see the council fact sheet at qldc_urban-intensification-variation_a4-factsheet_aug23-web.pdf for further details.
What could this look like for Hāwea?
North of Cemetery Rd:
Currently there are approximately 800 (in 2023) existing dwellings (Source: Housing Capacity Assessment 2020 Growth Projections).
Plan enabled capacity within the existing zoning north of Cemetery Road, is approximately 3,100 additional homes, for an overall total north of Cemetery Road of 3,900 homes.
This has already been included in the Proposed District Plan and is no longer open for submissions
South of Cemetery Rd:
An estimated 3,100 homes (including the SHA capacity of 480 lots) are currently enabled under the existing zoning rules through the land use consent pathway. However, council estimates that 1621 homes would be the approximate commercially feasible capacity of the Lake Hāwea South. Commercial feasibility is an estimate based on profit margin along with other factors.
An estimated 4,147 homes (including the SHA capacity of 480 lots) would be enabled south of Cemetery Road under the proposed zoning at Hāwea South, i.e. an additional 1,047 plan enabled homes capacity – although as with the current plan enabled capacity commercial feasibility may restrict this to a lower number of new homes. Council has estimate this to be approximately 2894 homes in total (an additional
The Council is now seeking submissions on whether this should be allowed via a variation to the PDP
NOTE: It should be noted that commercial feasibility numbers are more likely to be the number of added dwellings rather than the full number allowed by zoning.
In recent mediations involving the Hāwea Community Association, Council and 2 Developers it was agreed to re-zone a portion of the land south of Cemetery Road in line with the current rules. The HCA accepted that there was no practical legal pathway to prevent development and that it would help to create housing stock which should provide for the next 50 years. In doing so, the HCA worked hard to advocate for green spaces and commercial spaces that would serve the community’s needs taking account of such growth. They did not negotiate based on these lots then being futher reduced to allow a further 1273 (commercially feasible) dwellings.
Why is the further intensification being proposed by Council?
Council is proposing that this is being done to give effect to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 from Central Government which was implemented via the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021.
What is the NPSUD?
The NPSUD is a document produced by Government seeking to minimise urban sprawl and create better functioning urban areas with adequate housing provision.
The document states that the intent of this policy is:
“To support productive and well-functioning cities it is important that …. district plans provide adequate opportunity for land development for business and housing to meet community needs” (from: Introductory guide to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 – Ministry of the Environment) and;
“To make sure capacity is provided in accessible places, helping New Zealanders build homes in the places they want – close to jobs, community services, public transport, and other amenities our communities enjoy”
In doing so it seeks to:
improve accessibility for all people between housing, jobs, opportunities for social interaction, services, and public open space, including by way of public and active transport (Policy 1)
improve the evidence used by decision-makers in planning decisions (Objective 7, subpart 3 of Part 3 )
It asserts potential benefits are:
higher productivity and wages shorter commute times, lower housing costs, social inclusion, and more competitive urban land markets.
Does Hāwea meet these requirements?
The Council conducted research in 2022/23 (as required) which identified that land transport was a significant constraint to development in Hāwea particularly due to the one lane bridge in Albert Town. It also identified concerns about 3 waters capacity in the shorter term. (from: QLD PDP Section 32 Evaluation Report for Implementing Policy 5 of the NPSUD – Urban Intensification Variation; M.E. QLDC Residential Intensification Model 2022/2023 p.91).
Hāwea has limited job opportunities, services, and in particular the complete absence of public transport to Wanaka which are all indicators of appropriate places for intensification.
The evidence above suggests that there is no solid evidence for making this planning decision.
There is no requirement in the NPSUD to apply a blanket intensification policy to all urban land, rather it indicates that appropriate places are those that meet the specifications in the intent.
What Do We Do?
The HCA want to know whether you feel that urban intensification (over and above the development that has already been zoned) is appropriate for Hāwea.
Based on the responses received to our survey, we will decide whether to make a submission to Council.
Regardless of whether or not the HCA makes a submission – you are welcome (and encouraged!) to make your own submission to council on the proposition – you can do so via the council’s “Let’s Talk” function on their website by 5th October: Proposed Urban Intensification Variation | Let’s Talk Queenstown Lakes District Council (qldc.govt.nz).