Christchurch’s Main Areas Of Expansion

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28529, 7 March 1958, Page 17

Christchurch’s Main Areas Of Expansion

Most of the recent or proposed subdivisions in Christchurch are on the flat plain in an arc around the fringes of the developed area of the city and they fall into three fairly different districts, says the report on. land subdivision by the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority. Following is a summary of the authority’s analysis of subdivisions in these areas. Halswell District Subdivision occurs in two main areas. The first, adjacent to the main built-up area and the city boundary, is a continuation of the expansion of the main urban area. “The approved subdivisions have been approved by the Minister of Lands since February, 1956. against the recommendation of the Regional Planning Authority. . . . The land drainage in this district is bad, and sewerage will not be available for several years.” The second area is outside the area that the authority has designated in its interim report for urban development: “To the south of these subdivisions in this area is the small township of Halswell where, and it is considered, development might have been consolidated and urban services provided. “Unfortunately the large subdivisions, if developed, will completely dominate the small township and any character which it now has. will be completely lost. “The land covered by the subdivisions is, however, physically capable of development but it is suggested that normal urban services could only be provided by an additional expense to the community in general.” Waimairi County In the Fendalton and Bryndwr suburbs, always attractive residential districts, subdivision has kept up with the demand for building sites. “More recently, however,, it is evident that the subdivision of land has been taking place at an increasing rate and it can only be assumed that subdivision of land is not only occurring on the immediate fringe of existing development to keep pace with normal demand, but it has ‘leapfrogged’ on to land not considered immediately suitable for development.

“It woukj also appear, with regard to other information available on land required for urban purposes in the next 20 years, that only part of the land which

is subdivided, or is in the process of being subdivided, will be required for development during that period.” The Crown has acquired blocks which will accommodate 3000 to 4000 houses immediately adjacent to the existing built-up area in the Wairarapa and Harewood ridings. But private subdivisions which have been approved, or are awaiting approval, are scattered in large or small blocks in those ridings and if developed will not form a natural extension to the present built-up area, says the report.

Of the Harewood, Wairarapa, and Papanui ridings of the county, the report says: “It is suggested that in the interests of orderly urban expansion and the proper use of public services at the least cost to the community possible, development in this fast-growing section of the region should be allowed to take place only as a natural expansion of the urban area, and in pace with at least the most necessary’ public services.” Wainoni, Brighton “Development of this part of the urban area has not, in the past, been very spectacular. The physical characteristic of the area—the hollows and hillocks of the sandhills, the depressions of the peaty lands, lack of sewerage, bad drainage, and other factors—have all tended to delay development. “Over recent years, however, a considerable amount of development has taken place and Brighton in particular has been one of the fastest-growing suburbs. Development will no doubt increase now that Brighton has been sewered and provision made for expansion in neighbouring localities. “The two largest blocks likely to be developed in the near future are in the Waiponi district to the north of Pages road and south of the river Avon. “In this area, the Government has proposals for the development of a large housing block between Wainoni and Pages roads, and there is a large private subdivision between Wainoni road and the river Avon. Both these subdivisions are extensions to the main urban area. “In addition, there are two large areas for which scheme plans of

subdivision have been submitted, but not yet approved. These are for the Waitikiri golf links and an area immediately to the east of the Burwood Hospital and the south of the City Council’s plantations. “The former area in particular is very remote from all public services whilst the latter is on land at present unsuitable for development because of drainage problems and its remoteness from urban services. “There are also within this district many smaller subdivided areas which are suitable and fully capable of being developed tor urban purposes. They are primarily within or on the immediate fringe of the existing built-up area. Other Areas .“Besides the subdivisions in the three districts described above, there are of course many others scattered throughout the region both within the main urban and in the rural area. “In comparison, however, they appear to be of minor significance, but nevertheless this does not mean that they should be developed if they cannot comply with the town and country planing principles requisite to ihe growth of urban communities.” Discussing the effects of subdivision on the value and use of land, the report says: “In many cases an immediate potential development value is fictitious and could arise not through the expansion of a town, but through fortuitous circumstances which may arise out of unplanned growth. “Only a certain amount of land will be needed for expansion in a given period and the owners of all land on the fringes of development usually regard their land as the next to be required. Consequently, several times tne amount required is regarded as immediately ready for development and is subdivided*

“If development on this land is then permitted, with a free choice as to location, then all the bad effects of sporadic development and ribbon development will occur with the consequent uneconomic provision of services, if they are provided at all, and the production of conditions that town planning is aiming to avoid.”