Draft Heritage Plan Change

We're propose 11 new Residential Heritage Areas across the city and adding around 65 buildings, items and building interiors to the Schedule of Significant Historic Heritage, to recognise Ōtautahi-Christchurch’s special identity.

Project status: Closed for feedback
Open for feedback: 11 April 2022 to 13 May 2022

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Early feedback has now closed

People were able to provide early feedback on the proposed Draft Heritage Plan Change, from April 11 to 13 May.

During this time we heard from 143 individuals and groups. You can read their feedback in this report [PDF, 7.2 MB] which also includes feedback received on our proposed Draft Housing and Business Choice Plan Change.

Consultation on our proposed Heritage Plan Change (PC13) opened on 17 March 2023 and you can provide feedback here.(external link) 


Update 13 September

Christchurch City Council voted to notify the proposed Heritage Plan Change (PC13) at its 8 September 2022 meeting (reconvened on 13 September 2022).

This plan change will have legal effect once notified (alongside the operative District Plan provisions until the plan change decision is made).

There is no date yet for notification of this plan change.


Council meeting 8 September

A staff report will go to Council on 8 September and recommend that Council:

         1. Approve the public notification of Plan Change 13 Heritage and its associated evaluation report (prepared in accordance with section  32 of the RMA) as included in attachments to this report, pursuant to Clause 5 of Schedule 1 of the RMA.

  1. Approve the public notification of Plan Change 14 Housing and Business Choice and its associated evaluation report (prepared in accordance with sections 32 and 77J-77R of the RMA) as included in attachments to this report, pursuant to Clause 5 of Schedule 1 of the RMA.
  2. Authorise Head of Planning and Consents to make any necessary minor corrections or amendments to the Proposed Plan Changes 13 and 14 or their evaluation reports and appendices, until the date of notification, to improve the clarity, accuracy or consistency of the documents.
  3. Authorise Head of Planning and Consents to make other consequential changes to chapters of the District Plan not otherwise affected by Plan Changes 14 and 13 and to approve those documents for notification.

Providing housing choice

We’re proposing changes to our District Plan to provide for our continued growth and prosperity. Population growth, housing issues – including housing affordability – and climate change are prompting a re-think of some of Ōtautahi-Christchurch’s planning rules.

We also need to bring our District Plan in line with government direction that has been given via the National Policy Statement-Urban Development (NPS-UD) and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act (The Act) to enable more development in the city’s existing urban footprint.

To make sure development happens in the right places, we're proposing 11 new Residential Heritage Areas across the city be identified for protection in the District Plan to recognise Ōtautahi-Christchurch’s special identity.

We also plan to add around 65 buildings, items and building interiors to the Schedule of Significant Historic Heritage. You can read more about proposed changes to the District Plan before providing feedback below.

Webinar recordings, slides and Q&A documentation

Infrastructure (including vacuum sewers) - Wednesday 20 April, 6.30pm to 8pm - View the slides, Q&A and Webinar here(external link)

Heritage & Character areas - Wednesday 27 April, 6.30pm to 8pm - View the slides, Q&A and Webinar here(external link)

Coastal Hazards - Thursday 28 April, 6.30pm to 8pm -  View the slides, Q&A and Webinar here(external link)

Residential intensification - Monday 2 May, 6.30pm to 8pm - View the slides, Q&A and Webinar here(external link)

Commercial intensification - Tuesday 3 May, 6.30pm to 8pm - View the slides, Q&A and Webinar here(external link)

Our growth challenge

Our population is growing and we need to set Ōtautahi-Christchurch up for the future. Over the next 30 years, it’s predicted we’ll need over 50,000 more houses in the city to ensure everyone has a place to live – we’re planning for that now.

This means rethinking some of Ōtautahi-Christchurch’s planning rules to allow more housing choice to accommodate the diversity of people who choose to live in our city. We also need to provide greater opportunities for business development in Christchurch.

Additionally, we must make changes to our District Plan to comply with new government direction – the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 (NPS-UD) and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021. This direction requires us to enable more housing and business development across residential and commercial zones with higher height limits within and around the city centre and suburban centres.

However, not all parts of our city are suitable for the level of increased development that is enabled by the NPS-UD and Enabling Housing Act. Some areas have qualities, known as Qualifying Matters, which mean rules enabling increased development will not apply, or the level we enable increased development to, is limited, and remains subject to resource consent approval.

Ōtautahi-Christchurch and Banks Peninsula have a rich and diverse heritage that is a significant part of our identity. While the Canterbury Earthquakes had an unprecedented impact on our built heritage, the community has indicated that our remaining built heritage is even more precious and valuable. Heritage buildings, items and places provide a real sense of how the city has grown, as well as commemorating our past and present.

To protect Christchurch’s special heritage further, we’re proposing new Residential Heritage Areas (RHAs) be added to the Christchurch District Plan as Qualifying Matters.

This document outlines more detail about the RHAs and other heritage rule changes we’re proposing to the District Plan.

Your feedback is important and will help us further develop the Draft Heritage Plan Change ahead of formal consultation in August 2022.

The Christchurch District Plan provides for the protection of significant historic heritage, while also recognising the impact of the Canterbury Earthquakes, and engineering and financial factors on the ability to retain, restore and continue using heritage items.

Ōtautahi-Christchurch and Banks Peninsula have a rich and diverse heritage that is a significant part of our identity.

Our proposed plan change

Residential Heritage Areas

We’re proposing that 11 new Residential Heritage Areas across the city be protected in the District Plan to recognise Ōtautahi-Christchurch’s special identity.

RHAs are areas in neighbourhoods with buildings and features that are collectively (rather than individually) significant to the city’s heritage and identity, and are worthy of retaining. They have a coherent history which tells us a story about the residential development of Christchurch.

The proposed RHAs are in the following 11 areas: 

  • Inner City West
  • Chester Street East (Inner City)
  • Englefield (Inner City East)
  • Piko/Shand streets (Riccarton)
  • Heaton Street (Merivale)
  • Gosset/Carrington/Jacobs streets (St Albans)
  • Wayside Avenue (Burnside)
  • Wigram
  • MacMillan Avenue (Cashmere)
  • Shelley/Forbes streets (Sydenham)
  • Lyttelton Township

The areas themselves, and rules we’re proposing for these areas, are new to the District Plan.

We’re proposing that, within the identified RHAs, a resource consent would be required for new buildings, additions or alterations to buildings, fences and walls over 1.5 metres in height, and to demolish or relocate those buildings considered most significant (called “defining” or “contributory” buildings). The Council will assess all development proposals on how they affect the heritage values of the area.

We assessed a large number of other areas of Christchurch against this criteria, but they did not meet the threshold required to be identified as an RHA.

Character Areas

The District Plan already includes Character Area overlays, which are residential neighbourhoods that are distinctive from their wider surroundings and considered to be worthy of retaining. These are also proposed to become Qualifying Matters as part of the Draft Housing and Business Choice Plan Change.

It is proposed that rules for the Character Areas will differ depending on the character values of each area, as well as the District Plan zone in which it is located. The character values that are already being used to assess any development designs submitted to us are proposed to remain the same.

Find out more about Character Areas as part of the Draft Housing and Business Choice Plan Change online(external link)

What if you live in both a Heritage and a Character Area?

If you intend to make changes to your property in both a Character Area and a Residential Heritage Area that requires resource consent in respect to both areas, only one resource consent application will be needed.

Other proposed heritage rule changes

As well as introducing RHAs as Qualifying Matters, we’re proposing some additional changes to the Heritage chapter in the District Plan. These include:

  • Adding around 65 heritage buildings, items and building interiors to the District Plan’s Schedule of Significant Historic Heritage for protection. These new heritage buildings and items include five buildings near the city centre, some private buildings, halls and cemeteries the Council owns, and 25 baches at Taylors Mistake.
  • Correcting and updating mapping and details on the heritage schedule for a number of heritage buildings/ items to accurately show the extent of the area subject to protection. These corrections and updates are being applied for a variety of reasons including to reflect changes to buildings or changes as a result of a land use or subdivision of the property since it was scheduled.
  • Wording changes to some heritage policies and a number of changes to heritage rules with strengthening of some rules. The aim is to simplify and clarify provisions, to improve workability for users of the District Plan and the Council, and to improve heritage outcomes.

If you live in or own a building that we’re proposing be protected by the District Plan Heritage Schedule you can make some changes, such as minor repairs and maintenance, without a resource consent.

However, a resource consent is needed for more significant changes, such as building alterations, relocation or demolition, and for new buildings in heritage settings. The Council carefully assesses all proposals for development or changes on how they affect the heritage values of the heritage place.

Other proposed Qualifying Matters

The NPS-UD criteria for Qualifying Matters includes matters of national importance, nationally significant infrastructure, heritage and public open space. Development restrictions need to generally be confined to a specific location and alternative levels of intensification proposed.

We are able to consider ‘other matters’ as grounds for restricting development. However, this requires a significant amount of evidence, including site-by-site evaluation and full consideration of what housing or business capacity is likely to be lost if we stop or limit more homes being built, and an options analysis for how density can still be achieved.

We propose in our Draft Housing and Business Choice Plan Change that most of the District Plan’s current constraints on greater densities are kept.

New Qualifying Matters (or matters that we are considering as ‘other matters’ currently within the District Plan) include:

  • Character Areas
  • Schedule of Significant Trees

Features not currently in the District Plan (that we’re proposing to introduce as Qualifying Matters) are:

  • Residential Heritage Areas (RHAs)
  • Wastewater vacuum sewer system constraint areas
  • Areas affected by coastal hazards – there is also a Draft Coastal Hazards Plan Change. Find out more and give feedback online(external link)
  • 400v power line setbacks – A five metre setback is proposed to apply from most power lines on many streets. However, the evidence base for this is still being developed and will be available when the plan change is formally notified before 20 August 2022.
  • Lyttelton Port’s Hillsborough City Depot surrounds – this seeks to protect the industrial operations of the port depot by restricting the number of houses exposed to noise. However, the evidence base for this is still being developed and will be available when the plan change is formally notified before 20 August 2022.
  • Radio Communication Pathway for the Justice and Emergency Services Precinct – there is a Draft Radio Communications Pathway Plan Change. Find out more and give feedback online(external link)

Next steps

Following notification of the draft plan change before 20 August 2022 and further public consultation, formal submissions will be heard by an Independent Hearings Panel – with hearings expected to take place in 2023.

The public will have an opportunity to make formal submissions on the proposed Residential Heritage Areas, and changes to the heritage rules, heritage schedule and maps during this process.

Decision making process

1

Pre-notification consultation – 11 April to 13 May 2022.

2

The Heritage Plan Change is notified before 20 August 2022 and public can provide submissions.

3

Submissions on the notified Plan Change are published.

4

Further submissions can be made on the notified Plan Change – late 2022 – to support or oppose previous submissions.

5

Hearings Panel conduct hearings – 2023. The Council can choose to conduct optional pre-hearing mediation.

6

Hearings Panel provides the Council with recommendations.

7

The Council makes its decision with opportunity for appeals.

8

The Heritage Plan Change becomes operative.

1

Pre-notification consultation – 11 April to 13 May 2022.

2

The Heritage Plan Change is notified before 20 August 2022 and public can provide submissions.

3

Submissions on the notified Plan Change are published.

4

Further submissions can be made on the notified Plan Change – late 2022 – to support or oppose previous submissions.

5

Hearings Panel conduct hearings – 2023. The Council can choose to conduct optional pre-hearing mediation.

6

Hearings Panel provides the Council with recommendations.

7

The Council makes its decision with opportunity for appeals.

8

The Heritage Plan Change becomes operative.

 

Technical information

You can read more about the technical information supporting the proposed changes to the District Plan on our webpage(external link)

Find out what zone you are in

Find out what the proposed changes mean for you and your property by checking out our interactive maps. Enter an address on this map [link removed - consultation closed](external link) to find out what zone the property is in, and what development is allowed in that zone.

You can also provide feedback on zone types and locations through our Drop a Pin map [link removed - consultation closed]. 

Due to high demand on this service, you may need to try viewing the map at a different time if they are unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Printable consultation document  [PDF, 1.6 MB]


Other proposed District Plan changes

Draft Housing and Business Choice Plan Change

To bring our District Plan in line with government direction that has been given via the National Policy Statement-Urban Development (NPS-UD) and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act (The Act) to enable more development in the city’s existing urban footprint. Find out more and give feedback(external link).

Draft Coastal Hazards Plan Change

We need to avoid an increased risk of harm to people and property from coastal hazards such as flooding, tsunami and erosion. Find out more and give feedback(external link).

Draft Radio Communication Pathways Plan Change

We need to protect the airspace used for emergency radio communications by stopping development that blocks it. Find out more and give feedback(external link).

 

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Who to contact

How the decision is made

  • Closed for feedback

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