Variation 1 MDRS

Variation 1 to the Proposed Selwyn District Plan was publicly notified on 20 August 2022. Variation 1 was Part A of the Council’s Intensification Planning Instrument and incorporates medium density residential standards into the Proposed District Plan. This is a requirement of legislative changes to the RMA made by Central Government in 2021 to increase housing supply.

After completing hearings on the notified Proposed District Plan and the Intensification Planning Instrument, and receiving recommendations from the Council appointed Hearing Panels, Council’s decisions on both the Proposed District Plan and the Intensification Planning Instrument were publicly notified on 19 August 2023.

The Intensification Planning Instrument decision reports on submissions, further submissions and amendments to the Proposed Plan and Planning Maps, with the reasons for the decisions, are available here or on each of the individual hearing topic pages.

IPI public notice [PDF, 39 KB]

There is no right of appeal to the Environment Court against any decision of Council on the Intensification Planning Instrument.

Parts of the Proposed District Plan modified by the Council’s Intensification Planning Instrument to incorporate medium density residential standards (Variation 1) are operative from 28 August 2023.

The variations were required by the Government’s new housing intensification legislation, passed last year, which requires some councils to make changes to their district plans to allow for more housing, and at greater heights, in relevant residential areas.

To comply with the law, we have introduced a new Medium Density Residential Zone on relevant current residential land in Lincoln, Rolleston and Prebbleton. Additional land for residential development within these townships has also been rezoned.

Under these changes, up to three residential units, each up to three stories high (11 metres), can be built on a site within the medium density zone without a resource consent. However, it will be up to landowners to decide if they wish to develop the site to the permitted standards, or to a lesser level of density.