Frequently Asked Questions

+ What is the development's effect on the Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere water quality?

Converting the land to residential will have a positive effect on the Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere water quality.

Paddle Delamore Partners Ltd (PDP) and Lincoln Agritech have both completed an environmental assessment and concluded that converting the land from its current use to a residential subdivision will result in reduced nitrogen and phosphorus leaching into the local waterways, which ultimately feed into Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.

PDP’s report noted, “A change in land use from dairy farming, irrigation and cropping to a well-managed residential subdivision development will likely result in a reduction of nutrient and sediment loads leaving the site and being transported to the LII River and Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.”

Lincoln Agritech’s report noted, “If these (dairying) activities were replaced with dwellings, and provided there is sufficient capacity to deal with the ensuing stormwater and sewage volumes appropriately and responsibly, then it is likely that the following effects would occur:

• A significant reduction in nitrogen leaching losses
• A reduction in phosphorus transported to local waterways
• A reduction in the concentration of contaminants entering groundwater and surface water bodies within the property boundary, which feeds into Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, improving the water quality of Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere
• A reduction in methane emissions due to the removal of dairy cows."

View PDP report

View Lincoln Agritech report

+ What will happen to the Springs Homestead?

The Springs Homestead will be retained in its current setting. The existing landowners of the property will retain ownership and use of the Springs Homestead. We acknowledge that in the proposed district plan both the Homestead and its setting have a heritage listing (H323).

+ When will sections be available?

It is not intended to release or start marketing sections in this development until the zoning provisions have been finalised. There will be a full range of section sizes available from small 300sqm and 400sqm sections, to large sections in the order of 4,000sqm. The size and number of sections will be determined at a later date dependent on council directions and market demand.

If you are interested in a section (or sections), please click here to register your interest.

+ What will be the impact on the character of Lincoln?

We understand that many Lincoln residents appreciate the character and feel of Lincoln and we are working to design a subdivision that reflects that character. The Outline Development Plan (ODP) for this new subdivision is consistent with the Selwyn District Plan which seeks to provide pleasant living environments with high amenity.

A master plan development, completed in multiple stages, offers better urban design outcomes than multiple smaller developments.

+ Has an urban design assessment been completed?

DCM Urban and Inovo Projects Ltd have jointly completed an urban design assessment. They have jointly designed the indicative location of all of the reserves, the roading and shared paths to ensure that the subdivision is walkable and connected, and embraces the natural waterways and springs. The development proposes four neighbourhood reserves to provide amenity for residents, and has been designed to maximise the number of lots within a five minute walk or 500 metre radius of the reserves to maximise the springs and natural waterways available.

The proposed development is a natural extension of neighbouring developments, Te Whāriki and Verdeco Park. The Outline Development Plan (ODP) provides a mix of housing and lot sizes in a location that is well served by existing and future amenities. The design ensures that the four proposed reserves are linked by walkable green spaces and embraces the natural waterways and springs, recognising and protecting the natural features in the area. The large size allows for this development to be comprehensively master-planned and completed over many years.

+ What are the geotech conditions of the land?

This land is suitable for housing and the majority of the site is TC1 with some minor pockets of TC2. Extensive geotech investigations have been completed, including 20 cone penetrometer tests (CPT), 16 test pits and 18 supplementary/nearby data points sourced from the NZGD and ECAN well records, as well as three multi-channel analyses of surface waves (MASW) geophysical investigation lines.

These lines totalled 2.6 km and were measured to supplement the CPTs and provide continuous profiles of information about the soils below CPT refusal depths. This was then interpreted by Coffey Services (NZ) Ltd, a firm that specialises in geotechnical investigations, and it concluded that the site is, “Geotechnically suitable for Plan Change and future subdivision.”

+ Is this land using versatile agricultural soils?

Under the land use capability classifications, the plan change land includes class 1, 2 and 3 soils that are comparable to, or less versatile than, soils in other recently developed Lincoln residential subdivisions. The quantum of versatile soil that will be lost is not considered to be significant in the context of the wider Lincoln area, or in terms of the district generally.

More specifically, Paddle Delamore Partners Ltd (PDP) has produced a soil consideration assessment of the site. PDP’s assessment concludes, “There is very limited arable or horticultural land use in the Arariri/LII River sub-catchment that this property is located in.”

Furthermore, “Five percent (9.4ha) of the property’s soils are classified as having medium soil water holding, moderately well drained and are suitable for multiple land uses.” With the majority of soils (95% or 180.4 ha) being imperfectly or poorly drained.

View PDP soil assessment (coming soon)

+ Explain the potential bypass shown going through portions of Verdeco Park and Lincoln University?

There are currently no plans to construct the 'potential bypass road’. Previous work by council indicated the potential for this bypass and therefore it was shown on the Outline Development Plan (ODP) in the original Plan Change application.

The traffic modelling completed in our “Integrated Transport Assessment” concluded that whilst the modelling indicated that the network will operate better with the bypass, the operation without the bypass is acceptable and the Plan Change is not dependent on the bypass.

The bypass will not occur unless the council makes a decision later to construct it. Any decision would require a separate consultation process with the communities of Verdeco Park, Lincoln University and wider Lincoln.

+ Is this development likely to contain any new schools?

Carter Group will engage with the Ministry of Education to talk about the possibilities of new schools in this development. This will occur once the rezoning has been completed.

+ What is the capacity of Lincoln’s infrastructure to accommodate this development?

There is sufficient wastewater (sewer) and water supply to accommodate this development. All wastewater will be piped to the Pines Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rolleston, as is all wastewater in Lincoln.

Wastewater and water supply assessments have been completed by Inovo Projects and WSP, who hold the Selwyn District Council wastewater model.

+ What are the traffic effects of the development?

Novo Group has completed an integrated traffic assessment for the plan change to assess how the traffic network will deal with the increased traffic volumes for the development.

The traffic assessment concluded that the surrounding traffic network will not experience significant delays in peak or non-peak times. It did identify that there are some intersection upgrades that will be required. These upgrades will be funded by Carter Group and implemented with the Council, with minimal disruptions.

Carter Group has also engaged Abley Traffic Engineers who hold the Council Traffic Network Model to model the effects of the plan change on the wider network. Abley concluded that the transportation network will function acceptably, once the required intersection upgrades have been implemented.

+ What are the provisions for shops and other commercial activities within the subdivision?

The development proposes a small local centre to provide amenity for the immediate area. The size of the local centre is proposed to be a maximum of 450sqm of gross floor area. This size of the centre will provide amenity for the local development, but will not compete with the Lincoln town centre that will continue to have prominence for the town of Lincoln.

+ Will a supermarket be included in the development?

The Carter Group has no plans to include a supermarket in the new subdivision. The proposed subdivision is within easy reach of the existing supermarket. We believe if a new supermarket was planned for Lincoln, it would likely be located on the north side of town.

+ How will the development accommodate the Little River Rail Trail?

The existing Moirs Lane is likely to be upgraded and would allow for an approximately three metre wide shared path on the northern side. This path would connect to the existing road crossing at Ellesmere Road, where the Little River Rail Trail continues.

+ What will the new subdivision be called?

The new subdivision does not have a formal name yet. We are calling it Lincoln South development at this stage. We welcome any name suggestions, please click here to share your feedback.