By Rose Leighton, Planner, Baseline Group | Mar 08, 2023
With the rise of Airbnb in recent years there is an opportunity for residents of Selwyn to benefit by developing underutilised areas of their sections with self-contained accommodation units. However, visitor accommodation in small-scale standalone units, as promoted through Airbnb, is a recent endeavour. The district planning provisions for this style of visitor accommodation are not well provided for under the Operative District Plan. Despite this, if you are looking into jumping on Airbnb bandwagon, the good news is that it’s only a matter of time before this process becomes not only easier, but permissible under proposed planning provisions.
The currently Operative District Plan only allows second dwellings on a site to be used as a family flat, which can be up to 70 m 2 in gross floor area. The definition of family flat is clear that this additional unit is intended to be occupied by a member of the same immediate family as a person residing in the main dwelling on site. The definition of residential activity includes accommodation offered to not more than five guests for reward or payment, where the owner resides on site, meaning guests need to be located within a person’s house to comply. Resultantly, stand-alone self-contained visitor accommodation is pigeonholed as a ‘second residential unit’ under the Operative District Plan.
Therefore, for a typical residential or rural section held within single ownership (not subdivided) that does not meet the land area requirements per dwelling, trying to get consent for a ‘second residential unit’ to use for visitor accommodation is difficult. In most cases, under the Operative District Plan visitor accommodation falls into being a non-complying activity, creating a more intensive and restrictive consenting process.
This planning framework has likely dissuaded visitor accommodation development with Selwyn, despite the popularity of Airbnb in recent years. There is currently a missed opportunity for residents of the Selwyn district to make use of excess land area for economic gain. The Proposed Selwyn District Plan (the Proposed Plan) has picked up on this deficiency and included provisions for visitor accommodation.
Visitor accommodation is identified in most zones of the Proposed Plan as a permitted activity, provided the accommodation is offered to no more than five guest for reward or payment at any one time. This, along with complying with the applicable built form standards, enables visitor accommodation as a permitted activity. If more than 5 guests are catered for or built form standards are not met, then a resource consent will be required. Such a consent is proposed to be less stringent than the non-complying status under the Operative District Plan.
Council anticipates releasing decisions on the Proposed Plan around 23 August 2023, and the Proposed Plan will become operative soon after, subject to environment court appeals. Once operative, the provisions relating to visitor accommodation will apply. Get in contact with a planning consultant today to start planning your future economic endeavour into the Airbnb market.
Articles you might be interested in
- Burning crop stubble on your property?
- Game changers for housing under the RMA
- What does a professional planner do?
- What does The Selwyn District Plan (appeals version) mean for the planning process and consent?
- RMA changes are coming, are you ready?
- Planning land use to be resilient to natural hazards
- Who Shapes our Planning Rules?
- Managing Cultural Heritage Sites
- Balancing Common Sense and Legal Process under the RMA: Protecting Communities and the Environment
- The National Policy Statement for Natural Hazard Decision-Making and its effects on Resource Consents
- Minimum car parking requirements to be chopped
- Housing Intensification – Not for Everyone Says CCC
- Build-to-Rent Development in New Zealand: A Rising Trend in Housing
- Time's up on the RMA
- Rural Allotment Sizes set to Double
- Councils are Increasing Residential Density, but why, who does it benefit?
- What does your zone mean for you and your property?
- Boundary disputes – What are they and how can you resolve them?
- The Role of Planning in the Climate Change - Discussion for Agriculture
- How to navigate Rural Land Development Under the National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Soils
- Wild Weather and Resource Consent Requirements
- The Great Forestry Debate
- Cross lease titles - an overview
- Planning Permissions – Resource Consent or Plan Change?
- The impact of consent notices when purchasing land
- Commercial Activity in a Rural Zone – What’s the Harm?
- The Role of Planning in Land and Property Development
- Crime Prevention Through Environment Design (CPTED)
- Submissions to a Resource Consent by Affected Parties
- Highly Productive Soils – Big Picture Thinking vs Private Landowners Needs
- A New Dawn for Granny Flats and Accessory Dwellings
- Navigating New Opportunities: The Importance of Land Development Planning in 2024
- A recent Baseline Group project was recognised at the 2022 Canterbury Architecture Awards
- Indigenous Biodiversity: what does it mean for a farmer?
- A Practical Guide for District Plan Reviews
- Spotlight on District Plan Provisions
- How lizards might affect your new development
- Rivers, Lakes and Coastline, Public Space for All
- Cross Lease Titles
- The dream of subdividing your land
- District Plan in Selwyn – How will it Affect You?
- Importance of Sediment Management in Land Development Projects: Simple Techniques for Effective Sediment Runoff Control
- Risks to farmland in the planning framework
- Proposed Selwyn District Plan - What next?
- Planning Rules can Affect Property Value
- Selwyn District Council Changes Urban Allotment Sizes
- Time matters – With Resource Consent
- Going for housing growth, to improve housing affordability
- Crunch Time For New Freshwater Legislation
- State highways, noise and reverse sensitivity: what’s the buzz?
- Fundamental Culture Shift in New Zealand Planning Legislation.
- Who Pays for Infrastructure in Greenfield Land Development?
- Flood Management – An Update
- Subdividing – The Basics
- Housing Growth continues in Selwyn with Legislative Support
- New Indigenous Biodiversity Legislation Mandates Significant Natural Area Identification
- Changes to Resource Management Planning Signalled in Proposed Legislation
- Managing Wastewater in Rural Canterbury: A Guide for Property Owners
- Your Rights as an Affected Neighbour: Navigating Development Under the RMA
- Tiny Home Revolution May Not Save Costs
- Minimum Car Parking Requirements to be Chopped
- Ensuring Compliance with Resource Management Laws
- Hazardous activities, land contamination and resource consent applications
- Proposed Selwyn District Plan Update
- The rise or fall of rural lifestyle blocks in the Selwyn District?
- Buildings under exemptions may still need resource consent
- Outstanding Natural Features and Landscapes - effect on farming
- Historic Heritage Challenges for Landowners
- Back to Basics for the RMA Reforms
- The importance of knowing your boundaries
- The costs of subdividing hitting Selwyn | development contributions
- How Tree Canopies Transform Neighbourhoods and Enhance Lives
- The Taking of Esplanades at the Time of Subdivision
- Is the RMA really the problem?
- Negotiating with Neighbours Under the RMA
- Highly Productive Soils – Big Picture Thinking vs Private Landowners Needs
- Understanding Zoning and Density Rules in Selwyn
- Change isn't coming, it's here!
- Flood Management | Changes in Selwyn
- But that’s the way we have always done it!
- Rural allotment sizes set to double in West Selwyn
- Land Development opportunities and times of change
- With increasing density, good design matters
- Our History - How We All Play a Part in its Protection
- How might Development Contributions affect you?
- Confused by Environmental Legislation? You are Not Alone.
- Have your say on Development Projects
- Why we have complicated septic tank disposal rules
- What to do when you inherit land
- What does an activity status mean for your land development?
- Good District Plan provisions save time and money
- Is it a Wetland or Not?