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North Canterbury farmers are calling for a pause on a 34-hectare housing development on their doorstep.
The Hurunui District Council is proposing a 230-home Rosewood Terrace development between State Highway 1 and Hursley Terrace Road, south of Amberley.
Up to 109 sections in the development will be made available to give Amberley Beach residents the option of one day relocating, as the beach settlement faces the risk of coastal erosion or sea level rise.
The council purchased the $3.8m Hursley Terrace Road property last year and plans to rezone 34ha for the subdivision.
A plan change was notified in July and has received 107 submissions, with around 88 percent opposed, including a group of Hursley Terrace farmers.
Local farmer Rose Hinton said neighbouring property owners were calling for ‘‘fairness, evidence and community voice’’.
‘‘There are two affected communities not one. Amberley Beach residents have had around six years of consultation. We’ve only been given two months.
‘‘The proposal would permanently remove highly productive land which goes against the council’s own District Plan and affect farming in the area. Once the land is covered in houses, it
can’t become productive again.
‘‘We are calling on the council to pause for a cuppa and review the evidence before making permanent change.’’
The council began working on a coastal adaptation plan with Amberley Beach residents six years ago, adopting it in June 2023 with proactive relocation identified as one of the future options.
Wayne and Jenny Chisnall have been farming on an 80ha sheep and beef property on Hursley Terrace Road for 20 years.
Mr Chisnall said the couple had met with council staff and suggested the council could ask developers to set aside sections from housing developments around Amberley, rather than creating a new sub-division across the gully from his farm.
The narrow Hursley Terrace Road was not equipped for high volumes of traffic, Mrs Chisnall said.
‘‘Getting stock across will be a challenge. We put the orange cones out and most people adhere to it, but if you get an influx of traffic they may not have the understanding or the patience.’’
Beach access would also be a challenge, as the quickest route is along the narrow, gravel Newcombes Road and then via a paper road through private land, Mrs Hinton said.
The council’s chief strategy and communications officer Judith Batchelor said Amberley Beach
residents had expressed a preference to move to a new site rather than move into the town.
“Amberley Beach residents can choose to move to Amberley, but would need to pay a full section price.”
Under the council’s proposal, Amberley Beach residents will be offered a section in the new sub-division for $11,000, which can be paid upfront or paid off with their rates.
Amberley is surrounded by highly productive land, a factor which needs to be considered with any development, Mrs Batchelor said.
“A recent plan change for Totara Estate created 42 lots on highly productive land and was approved by an independent commissioner.”
Council staff are preparing a summary of submissions for a second round of consultation, where submitters can support or oppose points raised in the submissions.
An independent commissioner(s) will be appointed to consider the submissions and make a recommendation to the council.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
