Hastings District Council is proposing changes to the way Hastings’ urban areas are developed.
The proposals are contained within Plan Change 5, which has been drafted in response to Government legislation and population growth in Hastings that’s increased demand for local housing.
“To cater for people already here and those making the move to our district, Hastings District Council has been looking at making more housing options possible, including apartments, and higher density townhouses,” the Council said in a statement today.
“That will provide more homes while protecting the region’s quality growing soils from urban sprawl. It also enables Council to meet new Government rules for councils to allow more homes to be built within existing urban areas.”
The changes within Plan Change 5 – Right homes; Right place, potentially impact everyone in the central city and other residential areas, the Council said.
In these locations the change would mean that should a developer wish to build, for example, low rise (maximum three-storeys) apartments on an urban section; provided they meet the planning and design rules, other people will not be able to object.
Hastings Mayor, Sandra Hazlehurst said the Plan Change was significant for everyone living in residential areas in the city, paving the way for more houses to be built in smaller areas.
“While this plan would allow more compact residential developments, we have strengthened our residential intensification design guide to ensure new medium density housing is well-designed, attractive and sustainable, creating appealing neighbourhoods with a sense of community,” she said.
“Importantly this is also about using land efficiently to address the housing needs of our community alongside protecting our productive land for future generations.”
Find out more about Plan Change 5 here.
