This is an update about the Brookside Featherston development which is starting to get really exciting with Ian and the team at Brookside getting closer to submitting the Resource Consent application.
Here is the news from Ian McComb on recent progress…
The community consultation survey closed with 71 responses with the final trends the same as I reported to you last month. This has allowed us to see your predominantly positive response and understand that the chief concerns were related to the perception of “too much” in terms of houses, people, cars and/or noise. In response to that concern we have looked at the concept of a permitted baseline under the District Plan residential zoning rules and checked the development with these rules. Our assessment is that while the development will have more homes than the District Plan assumes, the impacts could easily be less than a development that was in full compliance with the District Plan. This is due to our provision for mostly 1 and 2 bedroom dwellings; which are currently in short supply in the housing market.
Development Options Comparison
| Aspect | Complying Plan | Proposed Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Number of houses | 68 | up to 120 |
| Number of bedrooms | ~238 | up to 226 |
| Residential car parks | typically 136+ | up to 120 |
| Section building coverage | up to 60% | up to 40% |
| Total site building coverage | up to 45% | up to 23% |
This assessment shows that our proposed approach, including limiting cars, maximum house sizes and site coverage covenants, means that there will potentially be 22% more open space and no more cars or people than another development could legally generate under the existing Council residential zoning rules.
We are also investigating seeking a Green Star Community rating for the development from the New Zealand Green Building Council as we are already proposing:
● solar power
● composting
● limiting car usage
● recycling facilities
● a repair café
● walking and cycling paths
● energy efficient buildings
● low flow water fittings
● stormwater capture for garden watering
● on site food production
Overall, we are focused on and committed to providing the best development that we can. We are really excited about the amount of positive interest we have had in our proposal but we know we can’t count our chickens yet as the consent process lies before us. Council will review our proposals and documentation and decide if it merits consent.
If you are interested in more information about this great initiative:
you can follow progress on Facebook: @brooksidevillages.co
or email: ian@brooksidevillages.co
or check out the project website: https://brooksidevillages.co/projects/featherston