Queenstown Special Housing Areas approved

Four new Special Housing Areas (SHAs) approved by the Government under the Queenstown-Lakes Housing Accord will enable much needed housing for the district, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“These four new SHAs fast-track the zoning of 40 hectares of land to residential and provide the potential for 490 homes. This additional capacity is essential for Queenstown’s thriving tourism industry, which needs more housing for its growing workforce,” Dr Smith says.

The Government and the Queenstown-Lakes District Council agreed the Queenstown-Lakes Housing Accord in October 2014 to address the district’s housing supply and affordability issues. It allows for the creation of SHAs, in which qualifying developments can be streamlined and fast-tracked.

“I’m encouraged that the accord is gathering momentum and I commend the Queenstown-Lakes District Council for its work in identifying land for development and recommending four additional special housing areas,” Dr Smith says.

The new Special Housing Areas are:

• Arthurs Point Road, 4.17ha greenfield site, potential for 70 homes
• Gorge Road, 12.8ha brownfield site, potential for up to150 lots
• Arrowtown Retirement Village, 12.5ha greenfield site, potential yield of up to 175, plus a 100-bed aged care facility
• Shotover Country, 11.11ha greenfield site, potential for 95 homes

SHAs are just part of the measures needed to meet the high demand for housing from a growing population and successful economy, Dr Smith says.

They enable areas to be rezoned residential in a matter of weeks as compared to a process that usually takes three to five years, and allow the associated resource consents to be fast-tracked. We also need to overcome infrastructure and building industry capacity challenges to get these hundreds of homes built.”