Bid to open up land for 1670 homes in Rolleston likely to fail

Carter Group’s plans for 1670 residential sections on the undeveloped side of Dunns Crossing Rd in Rolleston are likely to be rejected by the Selwyn District Council.

Hearing commissioner Paul Thomas has recommended the district council decline Plan Change 81 and Plan Change 82 which, if approved, would push Rolleston’s town boundary out to the west.

It follows the district council last year adopting an earlier hearing commissioner recommendation to decline Carter Group’s application of Plan Change 73, for about 2100 homes in two blocks on Dunns Crossing Rd.

PC81 would impact 28ha west of Dunns Crossing Rd and north of Selwyn Rd. It would allow for about 350 homes.

PC82, which impacts 109ha on Dunns Crossing Rd, Brookside Rd and Edwards Rd, would allow for about 1320 homes.

Thomas said in a joint recommendation for the applications the plan changes did not meet all the requirements of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development, including that they did not “form part of a wider growth and development capacity strategy.”

“In terms of the statutory assessment of the plan changes, I find that approval of the plan changes would not assist the council in achieving integrated management of the effects of use, development or protection of land and associated natural and physical resources of the district,” Thomas said.

The district council will consider the recommendation at a forthcoming meeting. Generally, such recommendations are automatically adopted.

But Carter Group may appeal the decision at the Environment Court, as it did for PC73. This decision was still pending.

• Find out more about the plan changes here.