Hastings District Council has approved a plan making it easier to build a wider range of homes more intensively in medium-density and general residential zones.
The initiative, called Plan Change 5: Right Homes, Right Place (PC5), was approved on Thursday, with Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst saying it would meet a growing community need for housing.
The change will mean more low-rise apartment-style living, three-storey and terraced homes.
While applications will require a Resource Consent, provided they meet planning and design rules, they will be non-notified. That means other residents cannot object to the project.
Hazlehurst said the decision follows more than three years of detailed policy work, consultation and legal process to deliver a clear planning framework that enables more homes to be built close to services, transport and community amenities in Hastings, Flaxmere and Havelock North.
PC5 introduces a new Medium Density Residential Zone (MRZ) to the District Plan to meet the requirements of the Government’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020.
The zone directs housing growth into existing urban areas, supporting “compact communities” while giving developers greater certainty about where intensification is most appropriate.
Hazlehurst said the decision reflects a major step forward in ensuring Hastings had the right homes in the right places.
“Our community needs more housing, but we also need more housing in areas where people can live well, at the same time protecting our world-renowned, fertile growing soils.”
She said the housing needed to be located close to parks, shops, schools, and public transport.
“Plan Change 5 will help us grow smarter, creating a new urban character for our towns and making the best use of our infrastructure investment.”
The investment includes the $36.3 million wastewater infrastructure project, half of which was funded by central government’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund.
New pipes are being installed that will create capacity for increased housing in Flaxmere, enable continued housing development within Hastings, and relieve pressure on parts of the network in the city that are at capacity.
Plan Change 5 was publicly notified in October 2022, attracting 152 submissions.
Hearings were held in April 2024, with an independent panel considering all views before recommending changes to council that were adopted in October 2024.
Three subsequent appeals with the Environment Court have since been resolved, and Plan Change 5 will become operative on September 12, 2025.
Hazlehurst said by directing medium-density housing into specific urban areas, the council could better align infrastructure investment with growth.
It ensured that water, transport, and community facilities were in place to support new housing.
The MRZ provides for townhouses, duplexes, and small apartment developments close to central Hastings, Flaxmere town centre, and Havelock North village.
At the same time, changes to General Residential Zone policies strengthen the outcomes sought for lower-density suburban areas.
“This is about building a future where our children and grandchildren can find a home in Hastings without losing the qualities that make this place so special.”