Hearings on the first major changes in 25 years to residential zoning in Central Otago began in Alexandra this week.
The residential chapter of the Central Otago district plan has not been fully reviewed since it was originally drafted in 1998. Submissions closed late last year and this week submitters have had the chance to make their case to the Central Otago District Council hearings panel.
Crs Neil Gillespie, Martin McPherson and Ian Cooney heard from submitters ranging from former community board members to representatives of Foodstuffs.
Cr Gillespie said a range of views had been offered and that was a challenge for the hearings panel.
Yesterday morning Bannockburn was the focus of attention with the size of sections and building sight lines discussed.
Bannockburn resident James Dicey spoke to his submission saying he supported the retention of the existing no-build restrictions and the movement to a minimum lot size of 2000sq m with the exception of Domain Road Vineyard. That should not be included as a large-lot residential zone as it was highly productive land and already established as a productive vineyard, Mr Dicey said.
However, one of the owners of Domain Road Vineyard, Graeme Crosbie, said he supported the move to rezone the vineyard from rural to large-lot residential.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to run a vineyard with houses all around. There were no near neighbours who were farming, he said.
During summer spraying started at 5am on their other holding as a breeze often came up mid-morning. However, at Domain Road they started at 8am so as not to disturb neighbours. He understood neighbours would prefer to look at a vineyard rather than houses but allowing lots down to 1000sqm would allow for infill subdivisions to make use of existing infrastructure.
While they planned to continue with the vineyard it was necessary to look to the future, Mr Crosbie said.
Retired Cromwell Community Board member Gordon Stewart said he thought sections should be reduced to 1000sqm.
There were some that size already and it was better for the council to plan for that, and the required infrastructure, than allow it to happen by default.
He recalled the decision to make Bannockburn lots 2000sq m came from a meeting in 1978 when all the area was zoned rural. At the meeting someone said they wanted Bannockburn to be different from Cromwell and it was decided the lots would be 2000sq m "just like that", Mr Stewart said.
However, infrastructure, such as sewerage and roading would need to be addressed as the area became more densely populated, he said.
Council principal policy planner Ann Rodgers said plan change 19 would bring council policy in line with national planning standards. The change had been driven by and was intended to implement the direction set out in the Vincent and Cromwell spatial plans, in relation to the district’s residential areas.
The plans have been prepared by the council in response to demand for residential land and housing affordability concerns, and to plan for anticipated growth over the next 30 years. Plan change 19 does not propose to alter zoning or framework in relation to rural, business or industrial area or rural settlement zones.
The hearings continue next month.
