Some changes important

Press, 4 December 1979, Page 6

Some changes important

Most zone boundaries reriain unchanged in the reviewed scheme, but the changes are important ones. Port Hills land is in a special Residential Hill zone. Performance standards differ there because of topography end soil conditions, and lower intensity development Is eenerally planned. Where development of a hillside could cause problems for neighbours, special concent plans will be required. Residential car-parking zones have been created eround some larger shopping centres. Such parking has been added to the range of land uses permitted in those zones. For example, parking zones have been drawn near Merivale and Shirley shopping centres. The Residential 3 (medium density) zone at Sumner has been reduced in size, and the large one ar Redcliffs which has been eliminated is now ! n the Residential 1 zone. High-rise aoartment buildings have been kept as conditional uses in the New Brighton Residential 3 zone. The Residential 5 zone north of the central business district has been taken north to Bealey Avenue, another incentive for city-centre living. In addition, several special

residential zones have been; introduced in central city j neighbourhoods — ini Pete- oorough, Conference! and Manchester streets. Former Residential 1A zones at Ferrymead and Travis Swamp — designed for strictly-controlled comprehensive development — have been changed tc normal Residential I zones with development guidelines attached. Home occupations, carriedj out inside houses, have been introduced. On some large! lots, three-unit apartments; ca- be built in the Residential 1 zone. Provision for small local taverns and adjoining commercial zones, with less than 150 square metres of public ! indoor* space and limited parking, has been included in Residential 2 to! Residential 4 zones. Granny flats, detached dwellings for aged relatives,, are now a permitted use in i residential zones, instead of| being conditional uses. Although a wider range of! tourist accommodation is i permitted in the Residential; 5A zone, a size limit on! such complexes has been introduced for other residen-' itial zones. Reserve land is no longer! called Public Open Space. Such land has been divided j

into three categories, with' Recreation 1A zone where] large buildings are excluded. I Special recreation zones have been created along the Brighton and Sumner foreshores, and in the Estuary. More areas tege been designated in the suburbs as proposed recreation reserves. A new cultural zone has been placed over the Cuthberts Green Maori marae land, joining the cultural zone covering the Arts Centre. Although most commercial zone boundaries have been maintained, some extensions cover approved plans at Linwood and Barrington. Zone changes have also been made for limited growth at St Martins, Shirley, Woolston and, later, at Hoon Hay. Greater landscaping of commercial car-parking and screening' of outdoor yards is now required. In Commercial 3 zones, near the C.8.D., building setbacks from the street have been increased from 1.5 m to 4.5 m, with frontage landscaping. At the same time, such

buildings will be able to occupy more of their sites. An employment (industrial) zone has been created at Ferrymead, similar to the Bexley employment zone further north in the eastern suburbs. It is between Ferry Road and the Estuary*. A higher standard of landscaping and design will be required for this zone, which can be easily seen from the Port Hills. An Industrial 3 zone has been created at the corner of Wigram and Annex roads, next to the new Southern Motorway. Three rural zones are in the new scheme, compared to five in the scheme operative since 1972. Some rural boundary changes have been made, to include stable land in residential zones and unstable land within the Rural 1 zone. A scheme provision introduces design guides which can be used particularly for inner-city apartment buildings. Another provision says that sites where buildings have been torn down must be kept tidy.