Sustainable property developments in the Queenstown Lakes district may be speeded-up by the council next year through an accelerated resource consent process.
Queenstown Lakes District Council senior policy analyst Scott Figenshow said the development of sustainable building practice is a strong factor in the council's efforts to deliver affordable housing.
''We are looking at what the best one of many sustainable practices is ...
''We're considering what kind of policy to put together, and sustainability is one of those tracks,'' Mr Figenshow said.
The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development has proposed a five-point policy package to Government, local government, the building industry and home users to help improve the performance of the nation's 1.6 million homes.
One of the policies suggests a fast-tracked ''green tape'' resource consent process for more sustainable housing renovations and developments.
''The green tape process is one of many. The council will be working out what the best starting point is, and what the best community outcome is for sustainable resource management,'' he said.
Mr Figenshow says the QLDC is looking at the suggestion as one of a number of possible sustainable proposals to follow plan change 24 - Affordable and Community Housing (PC24) - which following legal dispute, is hoped to be approved by the Environment Court early next year.
The business council's two-year-long $300,000 research project on how to deliver ''better performing homes'' for New Zealanders produced the five-point policy solution, which found more than a million homes are not adequately insulated.
A sustainability programme introduced by the Nelson City Council called the Solar Saver Scheme is also being closely followed, Mr Figenshow said.
''Nelson City Council introduced a programme for the summer for solar water systems, and we are keeping a close eye on that to see whether it would be effective here,'' he said.
The scheme allows residents to choose a solar water system they like from one of four suppliers and have it installed.
The cost of the entire system is met by the council and residents pay it back to the council, including interest, as a targeted rate on their property over 10 years.
