A plan to extend water services into the northeast of Ashburton offers an "opportunity" to connect homes to the town's water supply and build subdivisions.
Ashburton District Council is preparing to consult on connecting the area to the drinking water and investigating concepts for wastewater.
The northeast has high groundwater nitrates, which has impacted private bores and caused problems for developers getting consent for wastewater systems.
The projects were discussed at a recent water committee meeting where assets manager Andy Guthrie said the wastewater extension would "certainly open up opportunity for development that doesn’t currently exist”.
McCann said ECan’s position on new discharge consents in the area has “likely stalled some development”.
“Providing a wastewater service to the area in the future might get that development going again as well as incentivising other landowners to consider subdivision.”
ECan has previously said the cumulative effects of more housing and consent applications in the northeast raise concerns regarding E.coli and nitrates.
McCann said the northeast drinking water project is at the point of consulting with properties in the proposed extension area - the triangle of land comprising Seafield Rd, Company Rd, and Keenans Rd.
“We’ll write to landowners in the next few weeks, with cost estimates for joining the council drinking water supply, via the planned extension.”
It has been budgeted in the long-term plan to support it this far, he said.
“The detailed design for a drinking water network in the whole of the northeast area has been done and extensions will be carried out in increments, and only if there is landowner support.
“The wastewater servicing project is only in its initial concept stage and council has made no commitment at this point to providing the service.”
There is no funding in the current long-term plan for the rollout of wastewater servicing to the North East Ashburton area.
McCann said that "significant decision" could be considered as part of the next long-term plan cycle.
There is no commitment to providing a wastewater service to the area beyond the concept-level investigations currently underway, McCann said.
Service extensions to defined areas are typically funded by the existing and future landowners in that area, he said.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
