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Plans, policies and reports
Plans, policies and reports

Hauraki Gulf Islands  review

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Issues and options papers

Retirement Villages

Issue
New Zealand has an aging population, with an increase in number of people in the 65+ age group expected to increase by 111,000 in the Auckland Region by 2021.

Currently, there is no provision for retirement villages or pensioner-style housing in the Hauraki Gulf Islands District Plan.

Council is in a position to provide for the aging population through provision for Retirement Villages in the District Plan. There is the opportunity to recognise retirement villages as being distinct from normal residential use. Density in terms of dwellings is generally higher for retirement villages, however each living unit is usually smaller than a standard dwelling. In addition, the retirement villages may require ancillary activities, such as restaurants, workshops, common areas and healthcare service.

Currently there are two retirement villages located on Waiheke Island. There are none located elsewhere in the Gulf.

Difficulties have arisen in the past with the retirement villages and how these are assessed. Currently, any application is assessed as a multiple dwelling on a single site. The assessment criteria do not specifically deal with the issues that arise from retirement villages, such as the use of larger scale buildings, sustainable design principles or social impacts on the surrounding areas.

Large-scale developments have the potential to utilise better sustainable development practices, incorporating better design, energy efficiency and alternative energy solutions.

Various District Plans in the Auckland Region allow for retirement complexes or villages, however these are generally referred to hand in hand with intensification. However, there is justification for "social responsibility" in allowing for activities such as retirement villages.

So long as the activity meets the general development controls in the district plan, allowing a degree of intensification by way of retirement villages in areas that have already been modified is a more efficient use of the land resource.

Plan Change 26 (Auckland City Isthmus plan) has controls on retirement villages - these could be modified for the HGI plan, with specific reference to landscape effects

It is possible that retirement village units are unit titled and sold off. What could be done to ensure the provision of this style of housing/activity is protected?

Possible approaches

You may have a better or alternative approach to those outlined below. If so, we would like to hear from you.

  • Activity requiring resource consent (discretionary activity with additional assessment criteria)
  • Special "spot" zoning (such as Land Unit 11a - Retirement Villages) for existing villages, plan change required for new proposals. In this zone, residential use is permitted only for the purpose of a retirement village, otherwise non-complying. Ancillary uses permitted up to a certain threshold.
  • Maintain the status quo and assess as multiple dwellings

Note:

While this issue paper can be read in isolation, it is best read in association with the issue papers relating to: