And a leading real estate agent, John Cutler, says more development is desperately needed in Dunedin with new houses in Christchurch now cheaper than an older house here.
Cr Andrew Whiley said one of the obstacles to getting more housing built was the city’s limited wastewater infrastructure.
He wants new subdivisions to have holding tanks, which would ease the pressure on wastewater systems, especially when there is a lot of rainfall.
"The capacity aspect of what can go through at certain times in the current infrastructure is at peak," Mr Whiley said.
"How do we get more? If we build 1000 more homes we can’t put 1000 more houses of water running through the network when it’s already close to peak."
Holding tanks would sit on a section and hold wastewater until a time — for example 3am — when the water in the network was not at peak. Then it would release that water.
"In five, eight years’ time when the infrastructure’s all put up and done there’s no need for that holding tank. That section can then be built on — the tank removed and the section built on."
Mr Whiley said it was an idea only recently brought up by council staff.
Developer Tom Richardson said he had considered holding tanks for a new subdivision but it worked out to be too expensive.
The council’s 3 Waters group manager Tom Dyer said holding tanks were used in the city but mainly where new housing had been added to older networks such as in Kaikorai Valley or North East Valley.
"Our first choice is always to try and make sure we’ve got fit-for-purpose infrastructure in the ground," he said.
"But that can often take quite a long time to achieve and where we’re trying to enable development quickly or where there’s the opportunity to enable development quickly ... on a shorter timeline than those infrastructure timelines might occur we’re certainly happy to look at other options."
He said it was important to remember there were some sites where holding tanks were not appropriate.
"Things that dictate that are things like topography and access, the ability to service and maintain these assets, all of those sorts of things."
Mr Dyer said holding tanks were "an exception as opposed to a rule" and the council was not looking at encouraging widespread use of them — " ...just where it is the only viable option," he said.
Shortage of land
Cutlers principal John Cutler has lamented the state of housing in Dunedin.
What it came down to was not enough land zoned to build on and he wanted Dunedin to follow Christchurch’s example.
"The city is growing and we’re running out of ... there’s no land zoned to build on.
"For instance, I’ve just been in Christchurch. You can buy a new house up there for $600,000."
August QV data for Dunedin had the median house price at $550,000.
He said there were a lot more sections in Christchurch as well as cheaper building costs.
"What they haven’t allowed for in Dunedin is enough land to develop."
He said the reason for it was the cost of infrastructure in a new subdivision.
"I think it’s quite sad when the median house price is near $600,000 and rents are going [up]," he said.
He knew a lot of elderly people who wanted a small townhouse, but "there’s nothing available for them".
"I know people even in Wanaka that would like to come back to Dunedin and find a nice house but there’s nothing available.
"It’s constraining for the city."
Mr Cutler believed there were good options for housing development around Wakari Rd, Kaikorai Valley, Halfway Bush and Pine Hill.
