Another major housing development planned in Canterbury is facing fierce pushback from locals, worried about flooding, wastewater, and traffic.
The Carter Group development wants to include close to 900 residential sections on rural land in Ōhoka under the Government's fast-track act.
There would also be retirement living, a village centre and local services about 25km north of central Christchurch.
Waimakariri District Mayor Dan Gordon says the council's opposition is not primarily about stormwater, drinking water or wastewater concerns.
"Those are all issues, but they are not the core one," Gordon said. "Our opposition to this proposal has always been that it is not a suitable place for development."
The proposal has previously been declined through two separate planning processes.
Gordon said Waimakariri had already planned extensively for future growth, with its district plan allowing for up to 17,000 additional homes over the next 30 years.
"Ōhoka was not identified through this process as a suitable location for development because it is divorced from the nearest wastewater plant, stormwater infrastructure, has no public transport connections, and nearby schools are already at capacity."
Local resident Meris Brandram-Adams said many in the community were shocked when the proposal resurfaced after earlier planning decisions.
Residents have mounted a campaign against the development, including a petition which attracted thousands of signatures.
Brandram-Adams argued the project would fundamentally alter Ōhoka’s rural character.
"We actually thought that this was the end of it," she said.
"It came back on fast-track and we were absolutely astounded."
Carter Group responds
Carter Group says the development would provide much-needed housing choice and significant benefits for the wider district.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said the project would be carefully staged, providing housing options not readily available elsewhere in Waimakariri.
The company said the development would fund its own infrastructure and road improvements while replacing intensively farmed land with wetlands, waterways, native planting, parks and walking and cycling connections.
“The suggestion that the proposed Ōhoka development is in a flood zone is simply wrong,” the spokesperson said.
Carter Group said Waimakariri District Council's own hazard maps showed the site was outside the district's mapped one-in-200-year flood hazard area.
The developer also said flooding, groundwater, stormwater, and downstream effects had already been examined during an independent hearing process, and experts concluded those issues could be appropriately managed.
Last month, the Government declined property developer Wolfbrook’s application for a fast-track referral to build a major development on the former Pegasus golf course, also north of Christchurch.
Meanwhile, Housing Minister Chris Bishop told 1News that he stands by the legislation as it’s helping solve the housing crisis.
But he said the Government would introduce changes so councils could "better recover the costs of growth of the infrastructure required to support these new developments".
Bishop expected the legislation to go through Parliament in the next few weeks.
SHARE ME