It was one of the key themes to come from residents’ feedback on the Selwyn District Council’s planning for the future.
Subdivsions in Rolleston have now reached Selwyn Rd only a handful of kilometres from Lincoln.
In the next 10 years, Rolleston’s population is expected to grow from 32,000 to about 40,000, while Lincoln is expected to increase from about 10,000 to 14,000.
The growth has led some to compare what is happening in Selwyn to the North Shore, which in the space of 50 years went from settlements and townships to a large city.
The North Shore grew rapidly after the completion of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959.
Selwyn residents want the council to put township boundaries in place.
Mayor Sam Broughton said he has no desire for Rolleston and Lincoln to merge. But the council did not have power to put in boundaries.
“The council has no plans to join Lincoln Rolleston,” Broughton said.
Concerns over the merger of the towns came out of a workshop in Lincoln where residents gave their feedback on what they wanted the eastern Selwyn area to look like in the next 30 years.
The council will be factoring in the residents’ feedback as it develops area plans for eastern Selwyn, Malvern, and Ellesmere.
So far the council has spoken to more than 600 people in face-to-face conversations district-wide, many of which happened in workshops, and thousands more online.
Broughton would like to see more intensive housing to manage the growth.
“As we grow I think we need to go up rather than continue to spread out.
“So it’s about the density that we’re willing to live in. At the moment in our towns, it’s 12 to 15 houses per ha and what does that one look like when it’s 25 to 50 houses per ha,” Broughton said.
Housing intensification was brought up at the workshop and residents were open to it but only in the right places.
Residents wanted green space in Lincoln protected and did not want intensification to come at the sacrifice of trees and parks in the town.
Once the plans have been developed the council head back out for more consultation in August.
Said council strategy team leader Ben Baird: “It’s nice to go out to people and listen and hear those ideas and use build that to build a plan for the community.”
The final workshop is scheduled for March 6 at Te Ara Ātea from 6.30-8pm. Ideas can also be marked on an online map by heading to yoursay.selwyn.govt.nz/future-town
- HAVE YOUR SAY What do you think should be done to manage growth in the district? Send your views in 200 words or less to daniel.alvey@starmedia.kiwi
