PROJECT
Helping unlock a complex hillside site for a distinctive new residential community.
The developer wanted to transform the lower Port Hills slopes of Redmund Spur into an exclusive hillside residential development combining an attractive rural outlook with the advantages of city living.
Turning a steep hillside site into a functional place for families to live required creative planning and expert land development. A review of the Christchurch City Plan, including the Independent Hearing Panel process, created an opportunity to develop a more innovative planning response for the site.
Fox Environmental brought together planning, subdivision design, engineering and surveying expertise to develop practical solutions for the site’s physical and planning constraints. Our integrated approach gave the developer clearer options and information at each stage and enabled a long term vision for the project to be developed and maintained.
The subdivision plan was designed to create a varied residential environment, with 30% of sites at 1,500 m² or larger and the remaining 70% between 650 m² and 1,500 m².
The concept also included townhouse development of three to five units distributed across the Spur and a 3,000 m² commercial site intended to create a focal point for the development.
Fox Environmental formed a close-knit team with the developer, construction contractors, Council decision-makers and the developer’s solicitors in which information was readily shared and problems solved as they arose.
As a result of the planning submissions, subdivision work and engineering consultancy, a new site-specific Residential Hills Mixed Density zone was created.
This enabled the development of approximately 400 building sites on Redmund Spur, of which around 110 have been released to date.
This project demonstrates how coordinated technical advice and an informed planning response can unlock land that would otherwise be difficult to develop. It created a viable pathway for a varied residential community while responding to the character and constraints of the hillside site.
Talk to one of our specialists about your site, your objectives and the best way forward.
