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Dunedin is preparing to grow with a plan for more housing developments and industrial land, and a more-sustainable future.
The draft Future Development Strategy gives direction on how and where Dunedin should grow during the next 30 years and what is needed to make it possible.
The city and regional councils have worked closely to create this strategy, and they have now opened it up for the community to have their say.
The report prepares for higher levels of population growth in the first decade with about 13,500 more people — a 10 per cent increase — over 30 years.
Dunedin is predicted to need capacity for more than 6500 new homes by 2054, with 540 of those needed a year over the next three years.
Dunedin City Council city development manager Dr Anna Johnson said it was not a massive change in direction, but they were preparing for more people.
“The growth numbers that we’re looking to have changed significantly since that last spatial plan because at that time, we had quite-low growth figures, so we are planning for a higher rate of growth than Dunedin has had in the past.”
They were well placed to deal with the anticipated growth but were focusing on intensification, she said.
Possible new housing areas include Mosgiel, Brockville, Wakari, Kaikorai, Caversham, Concord, Corstorphine and Andersons Bay.
“We’ve outlined where growth’s likely to occur, so if you’re in a community that’s likely to experience a lot of growth — have we identified all the things that your community needs to respond to that growth? Do we have adequate parks and open spaces? Have we identified the right transport priorities?”
The draft strategy was developed with support from mana whenua, Waka Kotahi and Kāinga Ora.
The strategy also looked at reducing car dependency with better public transport, more resiliency, protecting green spaces and incorporating mana whenua values, she said.
There is already demand for industrial areas, but that was expected to rise with roughly 17ha of new industrial zoning needed in the short term.
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich has high hopes for his city. Photo / Otago Daily Times
Dunedin City Council senior planner Emma Christmas said three potential new industrial areas had been identified in the Burnside-Fairfield area, but more work was needed before any land was officially rezoned.
“The Business Land Capacity Assessment identify that there’s a shortfall in the short term, which is over the next three years, so ideally, we would be able to start work as soon as possible.”
An inland port south of the city was also identified as a potential future need, but that would take more time and work to stack up, she said.
The city’s prized heritage buildings were a factor in choosing potential areas for more development.
“If it was felt that there was a significant number of heritage values that weren’t protected through the plan, then that weighed negatively as identifying that as a future potential intensification area until further work has been done,” Christmas said.
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich has high hopes for his city.
“This is a key strategic planning document that sets out the vision for how the city will develop over the 30 years and identifies the infrastructure that we need to support that development,” Radich said.
“It also articulates what we want to achieve for our residents.”
Otago Regional Council chairwoman Gretchen Robertson described the strategy as a milestone moment.
“This new strategy aims to meet the needs of current and future generations,” Robertson said.
“Growth is not just about adding more buildings — it’s about respecting and restoring our natural and built environments and increasing our access to outdoor spaces.
“This strategy positions us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to the vision for Dunedin to be a zero-carbon city.
“It will also ensure we grow in the right places to protect highly productive land and indigenous biodiversity, and to avoid the impacts of natural hazards and climate change.”
People can have their say on Dunedin’s draft Future Development Strategy until the end of February, with information sessions to be run in the next few weeks.
Hearings will be held in early April before the final strategy is expected to be released in late June.
