Description
SAM 6 is an area in Riccarton that includes Shand Crescent, Tika Street and Piko Crescent.
The subdivision that includes SAM 6 was established as part of a State-housing development. The layout of streets, housing and parks reflects the social planning ideas of the time. Large front and rear gardens, the openness of houses to the street, front lawns with low or no front fences, direct access to parks, and one and two storied standalone houses or two storied multi-unit blocks, are all typical of State-housing developments of the 1930s and 1940s.
Each of the streets within SAM 6 has a distinctive character. Tika Street has a combination of stepped Art Deco apartments and single storied detached houses. The architectural ornamentation on the houses, while simple, gives the houses some individuality and picks out doorways and windows to make a feature of them.
The houses along Piko Crescent also have simple architectural ornamentation and are very similar in architectural style. They are built with either a combination of stucco and plaster or of brick and timber. The houses have a consistent setback from the street which adds to the character of the area. The combination of all these things results in a feeling of intimacy in the street.
Possibly the most identifiable element of the character of Shand Crescent is the way in which the houses all face onto the park, unimpeded by fencing. The houses are one and two storied, built in a variety of styles, and are detached and semi-detached.
Designing within this character
New buildings in SAM 6 should be designed to work with this character, rather than imitate it. When designing new buildings consider using strong simple forms of a similar scale and height to the existing buildings.
Sudden changes in roofline, colour, materials, and building shape can break up the consistency of the streetscape. This disrupts the existing harmony between buildings within the SAM. A similar amount of surface texture and ornamentation should be used, although it doesn't need to be the same materials or features as the existing buildings. Instead attention should be paid to how these features add to the character of the area, and the ways in which that the same effect could be achieved using current building methods and materials.
Setting the building closer to the street, or further away from the street, than the existing buildings affects the character of the street. Additionally, the placement of garages in the front yard can be visually detrimental and is best avoided. It is also important to face the park, allowing for windows, porches or other building elements to connect the building visually to the street and park.
City Plan rules
SAM 6 is in a Living 2 zone in the City Plan. There are additional rules or slight variations to the standard Living 2 rules for SAM 6, which acknowledge the area as having specific qualities that need to be protected. They are listed below:
- Site size - although zoned Living 2, SAM 6 has a minimum section size of 450m2 equivalent to the Living 1 zone. The purpose of the increased section size is to retain the scale of development in the area.
- Road setback (street scene) - road setback is the distance that a building must be set back from the front boundary. Buildings in SAM 6 are required to be set back at least 6m because of the impact that the proximity of buildings to the street has on the overall character of the street.
If you are considering altering a house or building a new house in SAM 6 and you need a Resource Consent, it is recommended that you seek advice from the Urban Design – Strategy and Planning Group of the City Council, before submitting your application.
Protected trees
Date: April 2001
