Plan Change 19 (PC19) continues to wind its way through the bureaucratic processes, and like many things in local government, it can appear painfully slow for those wanting more affordable housing now.  

Central Otago’s elected representatives are currently getting updates at council and community board meetings on the progress of the proposed changes to residential planning.

PC19 could allow residential sections to be smaller in some centralised urban zones in the district, potentially intensifying residential development in Cromwell, Alexandra and Clyde.

The changes could enable three-storey housing on sections with a minimum of one parking space, a minimum yard size of 3m from the rear boundary, and 1.5m down both sides of the dwelling.

The maximum coverage of the section to be built on would be no greater than 40 per cent, including garaging and carports.

PC19 allows for three-storey construction

Central Otago District Council (CDOC) principal policy planner Anne Rodgers believes PC19 represents a significant shift for the council.

“The last time the district plan was reviewed was when it was drafted in 1998; since then, we’ve tweaked it along the way, but we haven’t done any substantive changes to the provisions or the objectives of the policy,” she said.  

“Part of developing the medium density, which is probably the biggest shift for us, was looking at what that might look like for our community, so we’ve developed some medium density guidelines.

“Height and distance from boundary have been designed so that everybody has access to light and outdoor space. 

“We looked at it so we’d get a good outcome for the community,” she said.

There were 248 submissions on the proposed changes, many of which will be presented in person to a hearing panel over the last week of April. 

CODC has two years to process the plan change; currently, PC19 is ahead of schedule by some months and could be enacted later this year (2023). 

PHOTOS: The Central App