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Stuff
Houses were cleared in the Kaiapoi residential red zone.
The inclusion of former red zone land in Kaiapoi in the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan for possible future urban development has raised eyebrows.
Former Christchurch city councillor Ali Jones questioned the inclusion of the land as a “new development area” in the draft spatial plan.
This was despite it being identified as “a high flood hazard area” in the proposed Waimakariri District Plan, which was notified in 2021.
The land in question was deemed red zone by the government after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, with the Government offering to payout property owners to allow them to move on.
A rural zoning designation was then imposed by the Waimakariri District Council, which has been retained in the proposed District Plan.
A council spokesperson confirmed the land had been designated as a “Future Urban Development Area” in the proposed District Plan and the Canterbury Regional Policy Statement.
Specific zoning outcomes were being considered as part of the District Plan review, due to be completed in June next year.
But the costs of developing the land were likely to be high, the spokesperson said.
“Anyone interested in rezoning or developing this area would need to be aware of the constraints specific to the area, including the need to address potential flooding effects.
“Any flooding or other environmental considerations would need to be accounted for in any development plans.”
About 104 hectares of Kaiapoi land was made red zone after the earthquakes.
David Hill/LDR
The Government signed over Kaiapoi’s red zone land to the Waimakariri District Council in 2018. Then-mayor David Ayers, left, shows Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration Dr Megan Woods where some of the regeneration projects are going to take place, while then-Te Kohaka o Tuhaitara Trust chairperson Catherine McMillan looks on.
Jones questioned why this land had been included in the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan, highlighting flooding concerns from Cyclone Gabrielle in the North Island.A recent report from Niwa and the University of Auckland found that 441,384 residential buildings were at risk of flooding, with an estimated replacement value of $218 billion
Most were in urban areas, with Auckland and Canterbury accounting for around half of the buildings.
“We simply cannot continue to build homes in areas identified as being in a high flood area,” she said.
Submissions on the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan closed on July 23.
Meanwhile, a commissioner on behalf of the council is considering a private plan change request from Rolleston Industrial Developments Ltd at Ohoka, near Rangiora.
The developer is proposing to build an 850-home subdivision on 155ha of land.
This was despite the land being identified as prone to flooding and development in previous documents, including the Operative District Plan, the proposed District Plan, which was notified in 2021, and the non-statutory Rural Residential Development Strategy, which was prepared in 2018.
The council has submitted in opposition to the proposed development.
Hearings to consider the private plan change request concluded last week, with a decision from the independent commissioners pending.
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