Central Christchurch could get taller towers along with heritage pockets

Building height limits could be scrapped in central Christchurch while heritage and coastal areas and suburbs with sewerage constraints are shielded from higher, denser housing.

The changes are among those to be considered by city councillors this week as they grapple with new Government laws aimed at curbing urban sprawl.

The new laws take effect in August. The aim was to push housing growth up and not out, but councils can exempt specified areas by changing their district plans.

The laws will allow up to three homes per section, each three-storeys high and up to six storeys near main public transport routes, to be built across the city without needing resource consent.

Residents of some leafy suburbs have already lobbied for their neighbourhoods to be exempt, citing loss of character and tree cover.

In a report going to councillors on Thursday, staff are recommending which areas should be ring-fenced.

It also describes which rules must be altered to comply with the new laws, such as height restrictions for the central city and suburban commercial hubs.

A short period of consultation with the public and Ngāi Tahu will follow.

The recommendations are in addition to existing protections already in place for areas of significant natural, historic or cultural interest, public open spaces, residential character areas, and airport noise and electricity transmission corridors.

John Higgins, head of planning and consents for the council, said the staff’s recommended changes were significant “because they will shape how our city develops and accommodates its growing population”.

“They are about preparing us for the future,” he said.

As the Government wants to “maximise development capacity” in the central cities, the report suggests removing the height limits introduced after the earthquakes.

For neighbourhood shopping areas, it recommends height limits “commensurate with the surrounding areas and with the services provided”.

Council staff have named three suburbs – Aranui, Shirley and Prestons – where higher density housing should not go in because the wastewater networks cannot accommodate more homes. The three have vacuum systems rather than the gravity systems used in other suburbs.

The council report says the thresholds to make the heritage exemption list were high, and recommends choosing 11 areas.

The biggest one takes in most of Lyttelton.