Disappointment over Land Use Recovery Plan hold up

  • Gerry Brownlee
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says he’s deeply disappointed Christchurch City Council has not endorsed the Land Use Recovery Plan (LURP) it was considering at its meeting today.

“This very important plan has been developed over the past two years by Environment Canterbury, the Selwyn and Waimakariri District Councils and the Christchurch City Council, in conjunction with Ngāi Tahu, the NZ Transport Agency and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA).

“Known as the LURP, it effectively determines where residential development can occur across greater Christchurch from this point on.

“It’s very clear that if we are to have any chance of containing house prices, particularly for new entrants to the housing market, we have to make more land available.

“For that reason brownfields development – housing added to bare land on existing residential sites, or on cleared formerly residential sites – becomes extremely important.

“Christchurch city’s current rules are hugely varied and have led to numerous developments that don’t add to the amenity of neighbourhoods.

“What Christchurch City Council was meant to consider today was a thorough and collaborative piece of work containing comprehensive development proposals which would deliver more, higher quality development across the city over a short period of time.

“Even a modest uptake of the proposals in the Land Use Recovery Plan would deliver many thousands of extra residential properties into Christchurch city’s catchment.

“Out of respect for the incoming council, and recognising tensions with the old council and complaints over a perceived lack of democracy in the city, I waited and engaged on the LURP in good faith.

“I’ve bent over backwards, mindful of court instruction, to carry out my statutory responsibility while recognising the role of the democratically elected council.

“I have engaged as much as I possibly can over the release of this Land Use Recovery Plan.

“At the Mayor’s request today I will attempt one more meeting with the Christchurch City Council tomorrow morning.

“If that doesn’t lead to some resolution then I’m left with no alternative but to approve the Land Use Recovery Plan in the form stakeholders believe is best for addressing urgently required residential and commercial development across the region.

“The longer we wait the more severe our housing issues will become,” Mr Brownlee says.

Why a Land Use Recovery Plan is being delivered under the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011

The earthquake sequence in Canterbury that began on 4 September 2010 caused massive damage to housing, commercial buildings, underground infrastructure and transport networks.

Over 7000 dwellings will need to be demolished or re-located in the residential red zone and as many as 9000 other houses may need demolition.

Population dispersal and changes to business locations have impacted on economic activity, transport patterns, proximity to employment, entertainment and recreation.

The current Regional Policy Statement and Christchurch, Waimakariri and Selwyn district plans do not address the demands that now exist. 

The current Regional Policy Statement and Christchurch district plans are relatively prescriptive regarding where development can occur and under what rules. 

Existing Resource Management Act planning processes could take 3-5 years (excluding appeals) to amend current plans to reflect the changed circumstances arising from the earthquakes. 

Similarly, related land transport planning and local government planning documents are now in serious need of revision.

In general, the inability to amend the planning framework quickly enough to meet predicted rebuild peaks (from late 2014) and uncertainty about how amended plans would address recovery issues has impaired recovery; new planning rules are needed quickly.

The Government recognised this need for change early and the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery used his powers under section 27 of the CER Act to amend the planning framework in 2012, to make more land immediately available for residential and commercial development. 

In doing so the Minister took guidance from the decade-long and widely consulted process undertaken by all the local authorities in the greater Christchurch area, known as the Urban Development Strategy.   

This was essentially an agreed position by all local authorities – the Urban Development Strategy partners – on where Christchurch and its neighbours should grow in the years to 2040, based on expected population growth. 

Then the earthquakes hit and much more land was needed much sooner.

However, the Minister’s decision to bring more land to market by adding a chapter to the Regional Policy Statement was judicially reviewed by landowners unhappy that their land hadn’t been included in areas opened up for greenfields residential development, in particular inside the Christchurch International Airport 50 decibel noise contour. 

The High Court and then the Court of Appeal decided the Minister should have used either the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Strategy and/or a Recovery Plan to put in place these measures. 

So in October 2012 Environment Canterbury, working with Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District and Waimakariri District Councils, and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu (collectively, the Urban Development Strategy strategic partners), and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) requested they be directed to develop a Land Use Recovery Plan to address land use planning and related transport and infrastructure issues for the greater Christchurch area.

In November 2012 the Minister used his powers under the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act to direct Environment Canterbury to lead Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District and Waimakariri District Councils, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, NZTA and CERA to develop a Land Use Recovery Plan. 

A draft Land Use Recovery Plan was delivered to the Minister by Environment Canterbury in July 2013.  

The Minister asked for public comments on the draft plan, and received 149 substantial submissions which have now been summarised and analysed.

The Minister has now received a final plan which will do four things: 

  • Help address housing supply issues in greater Christchurch
  • Support business and industry recovery through zoning and land supply
  • Lower development hurdles and speed recovery
  • Clarify where and when development will occur

The Government is hoping to make a final decision and gazette the LURP by the end of November.