Local land supply up for review

A rise in population and development has Carterton looking to review its land supply.

A recent report to council said that with census and building consent data showing steady growth, and proposed changes to the Resource Management Act meaning councils will become responsible for ensuring enough land is available, the council needed to prepare a strategy for the town's urban development.

The report stated some rural areas such as Clareville, Park Rd and Lincoln Rd were experiencing "development pressure" and could be rezoned.

"Is there a need to rezone this land this time, or is there sufficient land within the residential zone to accommodate development for the foreseeable future?" the report asked.

Professional input was needed in order to learn if the existing land supply was enough or if new land should be opened to development, the report said.

An initial analysis showed there was still about 60ha in vacant lots or areas waiting to be subdivided that were available for urban development.

Depending on density this, if combined with further possible subdivisions, could last the town between 10 and 20 years, the report stated.

It was recommended that an Urban Growth Strategy be prepared prior to the review of Wairarapa's District Plan.

It was anticipated the work would require input from several professionals as well as wider consultation, and would take between six and 12 months to complete.

Council unanimously approved the recommendation to prepare an Urban Growth Strategy at last week's council meeting.

Chief executive Jane Davis said while there was no funding allocated in the annual plan for the strategy, she was confident council could absorb the cost, with the bulk of the work being done in-house by council staff.