Free, local and independent design advice for developers, property owners and Council to promote and assist quality design outcomes that embody and contribute to Lyttelton’s built character.

The Design Review Panel provides the opportunity to test design ideas, especially in the early stages of concept development, with follow up recommendations provided. 

To achieve the most design benefit and value for your project and Lyttelton, it’s advised to seek the Design Review Panel’s advice in your proposal’s early concept stages. 

Working with the design review panel

The Design Review Panel provides pre-application and post-application design advice for developments that trigger resource consent for design matters in the Lyttelton Character Area Overlay (of the Banks Peninsula Residential Zone) or the Commercial Banks Peninsula Zone. 

The Design Review Panel can provide advice when:

  • Requested by a private individual or company – either before or after a resource consent application for their proposal has been lodged with the Council.
  • Council planning and urban design staff consider a design review would be beneficial for a proposal in a Character Area Overlay Zone, Commercial Banks Peninsula zone or elsewhere, when agreed with the applicant.
  • Requested by Council staff for a significant Council project or the preparation of any plan change or variation that has relevance to design matters in Lyttelton.

If requested by a developer or property owner, the Design Review Panel can also consider design proposals related to other District Plan zones within Lyttelton. 

The role of the design review panel

The Design Review Panel is not a decision-making body and has an advisory role only.

Its recommendations may be considered among other matters and on balance, by a planner processing a resource consent, where the recommendations are applicable to District Plan matters of assessment.

Decisions about resource consent applications rest with the Council or the delegated decision-making body (e.g. a commissioner). 

Contact a Council planner or urban designer on (03) 941 8999 for more information about the Design Review Panel or to arrange a design review. 

Panel members

Headshot of Roy MontgomeryUrban Planning/Architectural History

Roy is a Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning and Environmental Management at Lincoln University. He holds a Masters degree in Resource Management from the University of Canterbury and has taught courses in Heritage Conservation. He specialises in Planning History and Disaster Risk Reduction.

Roy has extensive knowledge of the architectural and social history of Lyttelton and has been a member of both the Lyttelton Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Lyttelton Historical Museum Society.

He is also involved in Community Emergency Response Planning and was a founding member of Greening the Rubble.

Headshot of Jasper van der LingenArchitecture

Jasper has been a member of the Christchurch Urban Design panel since 2008 and is one of the Directors at Sheppard and Rout Architects.

Urban Design and the quality of the built environment is a real passion and interest which has been further heightened and thrown into sharp focus post-earthquake. Jasper was the NZIA Canterbury Branch Chair from 2010 to 2012 during the quakes, helping coordinate the local architects' response and assistance during this time.

He is currently the national NZIA councillor with the term running from 2014 to 2017. He was the national convenor for the New Zealand Architecture awards in 2016.

Quality of architecture, the spaces that form the backdrop to an individual and communities lives, and the history and context that inform these places and gives them relevance and meaning are all critical to us as a people and a culture and should be the best they can be. It is these values Jasper would like to advocate for in his role as urban design panellist for Lyttelton.

headshot Yvette Couch-LewisResource Management

Yvette Couch-Lewis is Ngai Tahu with years of resource management experience on behalf of her hapū and on boards at a governance level on behalf of her tribe.

She also has experience in management and industry training for local government and the private sector.

As a hearings commissioner, Yvette has been appointed by both regional and city councils within Canterbury, Otago and Southland.

Headshot Tracey OwerLandscape Architecture

Tracey is a landscape architect with her own practice based in Church Bay.  She has lived in the area for almost 20 years and has extensive design experience in the educational, commercial and community sectors, as well as residential design. 

She has tutored and critiqued final year Landscape students at Lincoln University for a number of years and has served on the Executive Committee of NZ Institute of Landscape Architects for two terms.

Tracey has a keen interest in ensuring that the Lyttelton Harbour basin and its townships retain their own distinctive characteristics.  As part of this, Tracey was an initiator of SPRIG (Stoddart Point Regeneration Ideas Group) - a community group involved with the preparation of a community vision through community engagement and consultation.  

She is actively involved with a number of other local community initiatives with the intention of rejuvenating social and economic well-being post earthquakes.

Headsht of Keri WhaitiriArchitecture

Keri’s background is predominantly architectural with involvement also in art, landscape and urban design.

She has worked as both a practicing architect and design educator (University of Auckland, Unitec) and currently runs a design consultancy, ITI kura toi.

In recent years, Keri has been engaged by Matapopore Charitable Trust, an organisation established by Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga, to manage mana whenua cultural engagement in Christchurch’s central-city rebuild. In this role, she has contributed towards a number of central- and local-government-led anchor projects.

She has also acted as a Ngāi Tahu-appointed Commissioner on the Christchurch City Council Joint Management Board, and serves as a panellist on the Christchurch Urban Design Review Panel.

Keri’s particular strength is the integration of mana whenua values and aspirations within architectural, spatial, landscape and urban design.

Headshot of Bruce RussellArtist/Writer

Bruce has lived in Lyttelton since 1994 and has been involved with local primary school governance as well as community initiatives in the arts and built environment. 

He has worked professionally as an archivist, an information designer and an educator. He currently manages the Art and Design programmes at Ara Institute of Canterbury.

He has published several books on sound art and has an interest in community arts development and how this can build community capability and resilience.

Since the earthquakes he has commented on the 'rebuild' in various published writings and public speaking. His interests include sound, time and memory; as well as psychogeographical research.

Bruce values Lyttelton as both a built landscape and as an historic municipality with intersecting and overlapping layers of community interest which are very distinct from other nearby localities. Members of his family have lived in Lyttelton for over 150 years. He is committed to using his capabilities to support all the communities of interest that call Lyttelton home.

Further information