Media Release
May 9, 2012

Selwyn District Council scoops planning awards

Selwyn District Council planning projects scooped the supreme award and two best practice awards at last week’s New Zealand Planning Institute 2012 awards held in Blenheim.

Plan Change 7 is designed to set new district plan rules and guidance for more houses and more housing types in Rolleston and Lincoln. It took top honours in the “Nancy Northcroft Planning Practice Award” and won a Best Practice Award, as did the Commercial Design Guide.

The Best Practice Awards recognise projects in five different planning categories. The Nancy Northcroft Award is the New Zealand Planning Institute’s highest award for excellence in planning practice and recognises “outstanding creativity and innovation and the quality of the presentation of the project”.

Consultants that assisted Council staff were also acknowledged. Planit Associates shared the Supreme Award and Best Practice Award for Plan Change 7 and Context Urban Design shared the Best Practice Award for the Commercial Design Guide.

The New Zealand Planning Institute commented that Plan Change 7 “used meaningful consultation and negotiation with affected landowners”. The Planning Institute was particularly impressed with the quality of the material and the presentation of Plan Change 7 and commented that the project “is at the forefront of planning practice in New Zealand”.

The work on the Commercial Design Guide was described as “groundbreaking, particularly for small towns and suburbs in New Zealand”.

Selwyn Mayor Kelvin Coe was extremely proud of the awards.

“For the Council to win these significant awards is a fantastic reward for all the hard work that Council staff and our consultants have put into these substantial projects.

“Councillors should be thanked for their strategic vision in managing growth in our district, and equally developers and the Selwyn community for their partnership in these projects over the past six years in helping shape the future development of our district.”

Plan Change 7 has rezoned land to allow for 8800 households in Rolleston and Lincoln.

More information about the projects is available on the Selwyn District Council website, www.selwyn.govt.nz/planning

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