Cromwell’s housing style is evolving in response to continuing demand, a recent illustration being a proposal for eight city-style townhouses fronting onto Barry Avenue.

The double-storey apartments would breach a range of current planning rules but the application is supported by a favourable expert assessment and only two submissions have been received in opposition to it.

The developer’s expert assessment of the urban design is, however, set to be independently reviewed by the Central Otago District Council’s own planning experts, council’s principal policy planner Ann Rodgers confirmed yesterday.

The apartment block, previously home to a garden centre, would be over 7m tall and occupy a prominent site near Cromwell College.

Crum Developments Ltd are applying to build the two-bedroom, two-bathroom units then subdivide and sell each as separate titles.

The plot and unit size are considerably smaller than what is permitted in Cromwell’s traditionally spacious residential streets but with housing affordability an

ongoing issue, the company say their plan has merit.

The aim, according to the company’s application to CODC, was to provide a housing type that was not currently prevalent within Cromwell.

“The two-bedroom townhouses are intended to be an alternative to the typical standalone larger dwellings within Cromwell and will be suitable for first home buyers, single parents, people who live alone or people who are downsizing,” the company report stated.

The bulk and density of the proposed block is more than what is allowed for in the council’s District Plan, but it’s impact on the surrounding street and residents would be lessened by landscaping and alternating frontages which broke up it’s solidity, the company say.

Opposers questioned the actual demand for such housing and were concerned by potential shading of neighbouring properties, road safety and parking issues.

“A development of this density is not consistent with the surrounding buildings and is not required in Cromwell while large amounts of land still exist for further residential development within the town boundary.

For example, the large amount of undeveloped land in Waenga Drive and Gair Ave, and remaining sections in the Wooing Tree and Prospector's Park developments,” one submission stated.

Another opposer felt the change in style was a bridge too far for the location.

“Introducing a multiplex of residential apartments is a sharp move in style and use within a residential suburb that is essentially single dwellings of like construction and size and is, in our mind, very much not in keeping with the character of this area.”

Four submissions supported the development as a suitable way of filling a gap in the housing market and providing options that were within walk-able distance of the town centre.

One stated that Cromwell had a critical need for more centrally-located, intensive housing options.

Availability of affordable housing has been an issue in Cromwell for many years and is currently the subject of a council survey.

The council is seeking the public’s opinion to help it decide whether to donate land for an affordable housing project from its Gair Avenue and Dunstan Park subdivisions in Cromwell and Alexandra.

The next and final stage of council’s Gair Avenue development is set to have a “mixed-typology” of housing, as Cromwell’s traditional spacious bungalows set on large leafy gardens start to lose dominance.

The intensification at the Gair Avenue site was aimed at delivering on Cromwell Spatial Plan aspirations, council say.

A date is yet to be set for a council planning hearing to decide the fate of the Barry Avenue proposal, with Ann Rodgers estimating this was likely to be in late July.