Williams Corporation has been prolific builders throughout Christchurch – in particular the central city. Photo \/ supplied<\/p>\n
But the developer\u2019s initial plans could be blocked by Christchurch International Airport (CIAL), which has informed it that it disapproves of the proposal, as it stands. <\/p>\n
\u201cHaving regard to the nature, scale and intensity of residential development proposed, CIAL does not support the application as lodged and does not provide written approval for the proposal,\u201d the CIAL said in a written response to Williams Corporation\u2019s initial proposal, which has been seen by the Herald.<\/p>\n
CIAL says the area is zoned for medium-density housing and estimates the parcel of Kirkwood Ave land is large enough for only a third of the dwellings proposed under current guidelines (Plan Change 14). <\/p>\n
\u201cWhile CIAL acknowledges the applicant\u2019s proposed building-level acoustic mitigation measures, CIAL\u2019s concerns are not limited to internal noise attenuation within individual units,\u201d the airport said. <\/p>\n
\u201cRather, they relate to the nature, overall scale, and intensity of residential development proposed within the noise contour and the cumulative noise exposure and reverse sensitivity implications associated with development of this nature.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canterbury University’s halls of residence. Student accommodation is at a premium in Christchurch. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Reverse sensitivity refers to the vulnerability of an established activity to objections from new sensitive land uses that locate nearby. In this instance, it is seen as a risk that residents of the apartment complex may object to air traffic noise. That could potentially jeopardise CIAL\u2019s ability to continue its current services within its approved operating hours. <\/p>\n
Matthew Horncastle, managing director of Williams Corporation, says CIAL did advise him on how the project might proceed with Williams\u2019 support. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe first part of it was they wanted it under single ownership and essentially what they\u2019re saying is if I sell it to the university, the university is controlling it and the people [tenants] won\u2019t object,\u201d Horncastle said. <\/p>\n
\u201cOr if I sell it to like a central fund, that person\u2019s controlling it, and you don\u2019t have a homeowner there objecting to the flight path, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said, if I put a covenant on it, that I\u2019ll only use it for university accommodation or short-term accommodation, they would support it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blair Chappell and Matthew Horncastle, founders of Williams Corporation. (Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n
Horncastle isn\u2019t happy with any of those proposed options. <\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially, what they\u2019re saying is if the accommodation\u2019s transient, you\u2019re not going to have someone living there complaining about the airport. Why shouldn\u2019t I be able to have an employee of the university living in the development next to the university?\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWould the majority of customers be students? Of course. Because they\u2019re studios next to the university, but I have a fierce, fierce, fierce opposition to unelected government officials telling private property owners what they can and can\u2019t do with their property.\u201d <\/p>\n
A spokesperson for CIAL told the Herald it was a matter for Christchurch City Council to decide. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe will play an appropriate role in that process,\u201d said the spokesperson.<\/p>\n
\u201cChristchurch Airport is supportive of the university and its accommodation needs. Our concern here is large-scale residential development that sits outside the District Plan framework. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe plan already provides for significant growth in this area, including within the university\u2019s specific purpose zone and through recent intensification provisions. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have engaged constructively with the applicant and identified a potential pathway that would tie the proposal to student accommodation and the existing framework, which currently it does not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christchurch International Airport. Photo \/ George Heard<\/p>\n
Christchurch City Council is the majority (75%) owner of CIAL with central government owning the remainder. <\/p>\n
Mayor Phil Mauger has been outspoken on the need for more student accommodation \u2013 recently suggesting that the soon-to-be decommissioned Apollo Projects Stadium could be suitable. <\/p>\n
Christchurch City Council\u2019s head of planning and consents, Mark Stevenson, says that whilst the final decision remains with the council, CIAL does have some say. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe District Plan includes provisions that, in certain circumstances, require either written approval from CIAL or that an application be notified to them as an affected party. In those cases, CIAL\u2019s role is to provide input on potential effects on airport operations,\u201d says Stevenson. <\/p>\n
Despite being an obvious beneficiary if the project goes ahead, a UC spokesperson told the Herald that it was not for them to comment on.<\/p>\n
University of Canterbury has seen a surge in student numbers year-on-year. Photo \/ University of Canterbury<\/p>\n
\u201cAs this development is privately led and not affiliated with the University of Canterbury, we have no comment on this.\u201d <\/p>\n
14 Kirkwood Ave is a 7823sq m section and was marketed as the last remaining large-scale site immediately adjoining the University of Canterbury. <\/p>\n
Horncastle says he is determined to fulfil the project out of principle.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it\u2019s not about me doing this deal and making money because I\u2019ll just do another deal and make money,\u201d says Horncastle.<\/p>\n
The development remains at the resource consent stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Williams Corporation has been prolific builders throughout Christchurch – in particular the central city. Photo \/ supplied But…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":371690,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[22366,2681,15408,16200,4995,17517,4057,1972,8605,138,8126,4487,2562,29414,3339,1019,1132,111,139,69,1118,194288,2170,3263,312,9631,1361,1555,18931,8238,1528,6730],"class_list":{"0":"post-371689","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-70m","9":"tag-airport","10":"tag-almost","11":"tag-apartments","12":"tag-away","13":"tag-because","14":"tag-behind","15":"tag-block","16":"tag-border","17":"tag-business","18":"tag-canterbury","19":"tag-christchurch","20":"tag-claims","21":"tag-developer","22":"tag-housing","23":"tag-international","24":"tag-million","25":"tag-new-zealand","26":"tag-newzealand","27":"tag-nz","28":"tag-of","29":"tag-overreach","30":"tag-plan","31":"tag-project","32":"tag-says","33":"tag-student","34":"tag-that","35":"tag-threat","36":"tag-threatens","37":"tag-under","38":"tag-university","39":"tag-would"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/371690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}