Proposed Options - 2005

Information presented below is from the So many options consultation booklet (April 2005) [PDF 2MB]

One of these is a Business as Usual Option - what will happen if we continue the current trends without change. The other three options propose different solutions for housing the extra 120,000 people who could live here by 2041. After each summary is a link to more detailed information about the option with a map indicating where development would take place.

All figures are Net Present Value - that is, they are estimates of future costs in today's dollars.

Business as Usual Option Summary

  • Development is between Christchurch and rural towns, and southwest to Rolleston and Lincoln, around Lyttelton Harbour and north of the Waimakariri River
  • 21% of new housing is urban renewal (13,000 townhouses and apartments) and 79% in new subdivisions (49,000 new houses)
  • Farmland/open space required for housing 120,000 additional people is 4,920 hectares equivalent to 26 Hagley Parks
  • 320% increase in congestion by 2041/500,000 people, commute takes 55% longer (a 30 minute trip today would take 47 minutes in 2041)
  • To avoid traffic congestion increases, new road construction, widening / maintenance costs $2 billion by 2041 ($206 per household annually)
  • Walking, cycling and public transport are poor alternatives to driving
  • Infrastructure for new subdivisions costs $560 million by 2041
  • Increased water demand
  • Threats to natural landscapes, such as the Port Hills, as development spreads

More information about the Business as Usual Option

Option A Summary

  • Development focuses on central Christchurch and inner suburbs, also Rangiora, Kaiapoi and Rolleston
  • 60% of new housing is urban renewal (37,470 townhouses and apartments in, for example, Spreydon, St Albans, Waltham , Linwood - 40% in new subdivisions (24,980 houses on small sections)
  • Farmland/open space required for housing 120,000 additional people is 2,110 hectares equivalent to 11 Hagley Parks
  • Infrastructure for new subdivisions and urban renewal costs $430 million by 2041
  • 190% increase in congestion by 2041/500,000 people, commute takes 45% longer (a 30 minute trip today takes 44 minutes)
  • To avoid congestion increasing, road widening/maintenance costs $1.9 billion by 2041 ($195 per household annually)
  • Walking, cycling and public transport are significantly improved
  • Opportunity to protect natural landscapes, and create open spaces around City and towns

More information about Option A

Option B Summary

  • Development at urban centres in Christchurch and Districts
  • 38% of new housing is urban renewal (23,731 townhouses and apartments in, for example, Rangiora, Lincoln , Christchurch ) with 62% in new subdivisions (38,719 houses on medium sized sections)
  • Farmland/open space required for housing 500,000 people is 3,900 hectares equivalent to 21 Hagley Parks
  • Infrastructure for new developments/upgrades costs $480 million by 2041
  • 290% increase in congestion by 2041/500,000, commute takes 50% longer (a 30 minute trip today takes 45 minutes in 2041)
  • To avoid congestion increasing, road widening/maintenance costs $2 billion by 2041 ($206 per household annually)
  • Walking, cycling and public transport alternatives to driving - more bus services and cycle routes
  • Opportunity to protect natural landscapes and develop open spaces around the City and towns and around urban centres

More information about Option B(external link)

Option C Summary

  • Development in areas outside Christchurch and rural towns, southwest to Halswell, Lincoln and Rolleston, around Lyttelton Harbour , between Rangiora and Kaiapoi and at Pegasus Bay
  • 10% of new housing in urban renewal (6,245 townhouses and apartments) and 90% in new subdivisions (56,205 houses on medium to large sections)
  • Farmland/open space required for housing 120,000 additional people is 6,850 hectares equivalent to 36 Hagley Parks
  • New subdivisions require infrastructure at a high cost - $580 million by 2041
  • 630% increase in congestion by 2041/500,000 people, commute takes 65% longer (a 30 minute trip today would take 50 minutes in 2041)
  • To avoid congestion increasing, new road construction, widening/maintenance costs $2.1 billion by 2041 ($217 per household annually)
  • Walking, cycling and public transport are poor alternatives to driving
  • Increased water demand
  • Development threatens natural landscapes, such as the Port Hills

More information about Option C(external link)

Issues that affect all the options

Water: Most of our drinking water comes from a series of aquifers to the northwest of Christchurch City . Protecting the quality of our drinking water is a top priority and limiting future development with an aquifer protection zone, as proposed by Environment Canterbury, makes sense no matter which option is chosen.

Airport noise zone: The efficient transportation of goods and people through the Christchurch International Airport is vital to our local economy. It is important that the airport functions efficiently; accordingly, further residential development is restricted in the area known as the airport noise zone.

Aquifer map

Three other issues also have been factored into the proposed options: the need to reduce the risk of flooding from the Waimakariri River ; the importance of preserving the Port Hills and Lyttelton Harbour basin landscape; and the economic impact of the loss of productive farmland close to towns and the City. The aquifer protection zone, airport noise zone and Waimakariri flood plain all overlap in northwest Christchurch , so development of these areas is limited in all options.