Council notifies zone change to part of former Copeland Street Reserve
Hutt City Council is about to notify a District Plan change that will rezone the Council-owned south western part of the
former Copeland Street Reserve in Epuni from General Recreation to General Residential – Medium Density.
This would be the same zoning classification as neighbouring properties. Council would then sell the land, which would
be used for residential development. The Department of Conservation, last year, agreed to revoke the land’s reserve
status.
Council also proposes developing the open land, to the north of the area to be rezoned, into a park*. This land
currently has narrow visibility and access from the street.
The changes would include rezoning two properties on Hall Crescent, which would allow the buildings to be removed and
the land to become part of the new park. This would make the recreational land more visible from the street and create a
broad entrance from Hall Crescent, making it more accessible to more people.
Under the proposed park development, this area would also accommodate a new children’s playground, enclosed by pool
fencing to provide a safe and secure area for young children. Work on the park would coincide with the development of
housing on the south west block to be rezoned, which if the rezoning proposals are approved by Council following
consultation, could start within two years.
Hutt City Council Divisional Manager Parks and Gardens Bruce Hodgins says consultation on the land goes back as far as
2012. He says considerable thought has gone into evaluating the effects of rezoning, particularly the impacts on
existing local residents and whether there is sufficient recreational land for local residents.
A large part of the land was used by Lower Hutt Ladies Bowls Club, which relocated in 2012. Under the proposed changes,
the 5300 square metres of recreational land available to the public would be comparable to the area available for public
use when the bowling club had exclusive use of part of the land.
In addition, the area is also well served by ample recreational space at nearby Mitchell Park, the Hall Crescent Reserve
and land around Epuni Community Hall.