Awatea Park is an exciting new subdivision on the western outskirts of Christchurch in one of the fastest growing regions of Christchurch. Located close to the popular Wigram Skies subdivision, with good connectivity to the southern motorway and just a short drive from the city centre and Christchurch Airport. Awatea Park is also close to pre-schools and schools with good public transport connectivity to the city, Canterbury University, and Lincoln University.

The applicant is seeking to create 118 residential allotments, provide for 4700m2 of land to vest as local purpose utility reserve and 1110m2 of recreation reserve. Included in this will be a reserve for a Cultural Trail (Waka Trail). The 118 residential allotments will be made up of 103 Density B zoned allotments and 15 Density C allotments. The applicant can however provide for a yield of 12.1 lots per ha (calculated as per Chapter 6 of the Regional Policy Statement) by altering the average lot areas as examined below in the planning framework.

The site is zoned Living G Awatea in the City Plan. The Living G (Awatea) Zone provides the opportunity to plan and develop a mixed density and mixed use community comprehensively. The zone allows for and maximises the integration of activities, infrastructure, open space and green ways both internally and with the adjoining communities of Westlake to the east, Wigram to the north and Hornby to the west. The zone also provides for a flexible response to the treatment of the urban/industrial interface.

The application is:

• In keeping with Part II of the Act as it will maintain amenity values and the quality of the surrounding environment.
• Consistent with the relevant objectives, policies and assessment matters in the City Plan which essentially seek to maintain or enhance the amenities of the built environment, and ensure that the creation of new allotments does not adversely impact on physical infrastructure or the cost of its provision.
• Consistent with the relevant objectives and policies in Chapter 8 of the Proposed Christchurch Replacement District Plan, as the new allotments will be appropriately designed and serviced for the anticipated purpose enable the recovery of the City through development of identified greenfield and intensification areas.
• Consistent with the strategic objectives in Chapter 3 of the Proposed Plan, to which significant weight should be given following notification of the Independent Hearing Panel’s decision on 5 March 2015. No appeals were received, so these objectives are deemed approved and will become operative once the Council has given public notice.
• Not inconsistent with the Recovery Strategy for Greater Christchurch as it does not conflict with any of the identified goals or priorities for recovery. In particular, the application satisfies the requirement for a geotechnical assessment to be provided to address the risk of liquefaction.
• Able to be granted consent without public notification, pursuant to Section 104(3) (d).

In addition, the application satisfies the non-complying activity threshold test in section 104D as the effects will be no more than minor and the application is not contrary to the objectives and policies of the Plan.

The National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health is relevant to this application as there is evidence to suggest that the land has been used, or is more likely than not to have been used, for an activity on the Hazardous Activities and Industries List.