Going for Housing Growth: Providing for urban development in the new resource management system
Enabling a mix of uses across urban environments
Current status and case for change
There are many benefits from having a mix of land uses or activities located close to each other, such as:
- promoting competition, productivity and innovation
- more dynamic, liveable and attractive neighbourhoods
- making it easier for people to access amenities and opportunities nearby, including by walking and other forms of active travel.
Council plans generally enable residential, commercial and community activities in commercial zones (albeit often subject to resource consent and a range of rules set out in district plans). Most residential zones are highly restrictive of what commercial and community activities can take place. Sometimes, mixed-use is addressed through ‘spot zoning’ – small patches of commercial zones in otherwise residential areas. However, zoning in and around the areas in which people live typically remains very restrictive of other activities.
There is a key role for zoning and consenting to play in managing the interactions between different uses that could create nuisance factors for others, such as from housing being located next to activities that generate noise or emissions such as hospitality and factories. This means that councils play an important role in managing the impact that activities have on residential areas. Councils also impose restrictive zoning for other reasons, such as to maintain ‘centres hierarchies’, in which many certain types and scales of activities are only allowed to take place in certain commercial areas. For example, plans may allow only small shops and cafes in local suburban centres, with larger commercial activities required to locate in metropolitan or city centre zones. This can restrict areas from evolving naturally and responding to the needs of communities.
We consider that there is scope for councils to enable a wider mix of activities in more places to achieve the benefits set out above.
Summary of proposals
The use of standardised zones in the new resource management system provides an opportunity to ensure zones provide for an appropriate breadth of activities to take place in proximity to each other.
While the exact mix of standardised zones in the new system is still to be determined, overall we envisage enabling a greater mix of uses between residential, commercial and community activities in standardised zones than is typical at present. In line with the focus of the new system on managing externalities, we expect that where a zone does not provide for specific types of uses, or includes specific controls on activities, this will be based on avoiding or managing the externalities associated with that use.
Some locations, such as near train stations or city and metro centres, may be particularly suited to providing for a wide range of uses. We’re considering whether councils should be directed to apply a zone that enables a wide range of uses in those areas.