Last week the Queenstown Lakes District Council voted to accept the Independent Hearings Panel (IHP) recommendations on the Urban Intensification Variation (UIV).
This means amendments to the Proposed District Plan to accommodate urban growth and intensification in the most accessible and central locations in the Queenstown Lakes district. The key amendments with respect to building heights are summarised as follows:
- The Lower Density Suburban Residential Zone (LDSRZ) will be renamed Suburban Residential Zone (SRZ) and the maximum building height limit will increase from 6.5m and 7m currently, to 8m (with the exception of Arrowtown).
- The Medium Density Residential Zone (MDRZ) and High Density Residential Zone (HDRZ) will largely be retained as is.
Two new zones have been introduced – Medium Density Residential A Zone (MDRAZ) and High Density Residential A Zone (HDRAZ), to accommodate greater height and density. - The MDRAZ applies to locations near central Queenstown and greenfield land in Wanaka South.
- The maximum building height limit in the MDRAZ will be 11m plus an additional 1m for pitched roof forms.
- The HDRAZ applies to central Queenstown residential areas and at Three Parks Wanaka.
- The maximum building height limit in the HDRAZ will be 16.5m.
- The maximum building height in the Wanaka Town Centre will increase from 8m to 16.5m (outside the Wanaka Height Precinct).
- The maximum building heights in the Queenstown Town Centre range from 4 – 20m depending on Height Precincts.
- Most references to the Residential Design Guide 2021 and the Arrowtown Design Guidelines have been removed.
These are amongst a range of other changes with respect to density and bulk and location standards, that seek to enable intensification in our urban areas.
If you have any questions in relation to how this may impact your property or a property you are interested in, please feel free to get in touch with our team to find out more.