The Queenstown Lakes District Council is looking to further intensify urban environments, in part to provide more housing choices.
The council will seek endorsement from elected members at the next full council meeting in Wanaka tomorrow to notify its urban intensification variation to the proposed district plan.
Acting planning and development general manager David Wallace said the proposed variation would allow for changes to the zoning and associated rules and standards of some of the district’s urban land.
"This variation would enable intensification of our existing urban environments and a diverse range of housing types in suitable locations to provide more choice for our communities."
Intensification would be proposed in locations across the district, including near commercial activities, or areas with existing or planned access to frequent public transport services.
The proposed variation would also provide for increased densities and heights of buildings in existing urban environments, allowing for the development of smaller and attached-style housing near public infrastructure.
"By enabling growth through intensification, as opposed to urban sprawl, and making it easier for more people to live in an appropriate location, services like public transport that supply those communities will be more efficient, and better utilised."
If endorsed, the proposed plan variation will be notified in mid-July, and then open for public submissions.
While he acknowledged there may be "apprehension" around how increased densities would affect areas in the district known for their landscapes and how future growth would be serviced, provisions were included in the variation to ensure "appropriate residential amenity" was maintained and stormwater runoff addressed.
