Planning to improve the city’s form and function, and the health and resilience of our communities and natural environment.

Read the Ōtautahi Christchurch Planning Programme [PDF, 17 MB]

The Ōtautahi Christchurch Planning Programme was endorsed by the Council in November 2024.

The programme aims to:

  • Support urban Christchurch’s growth.
  • Green the city.
  • Value water as taonga.
  • Strengthen local identity.
  • Improve people’s connections and prosperity.

To achieve these, the Ōtautahi Christchurch Planning Programme brings together different parts of Christchurch City Council’s work across land use, three waters, transport, urban forest, biodiversity, parks and open spaces, culture, community facilities, and heritage.

A particular focus for the programme is to achieve the city-shaping outcomes sought under the Christchurch District Plan, Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan, and national direction, including the National Policy Statement for Urban Development.  

Useful links

Priorities for local area planning

Local area planning happens when we work with a community and key partners to develop a long-term vision and plan for their area.

Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, local area planning focused on the Central City, nine suburban centre master plans, and supporting community-led planning. Before this, the focus was on major greenfield developments in northern and south-west areas of Christchurch, along with a settlements study for the Akaroa Harbour Basin. 

More recently, the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan (2024)(external link) has focused on readying our urban areas for population growth and climate change by identifying important areas for development and regeneration.  

The Ōtautahi Christchurch Planning Programme fits into this planning mix by giving further guidance and detail on the local area planning priorities for our city. 

Looking ahead, we’ll prioritise work on: 

  • The Central City, including Project 8011 and projects for Vacant Sites and Enliven Places. 
  • Giving effect to the master plans for Linwood Village, Lyttelton, New Brighton, and Sydenham, in particular, through projects for Enliven Places and Vacant Sites.  
  • New planning work in the Linwood area and the Western Corridor, with an initial focus on Hornby, followed by Riccarton/Upper Riccarton. Following this, we will focus on the Northern Corridor, including Merivale, Papanui and Belfast.

The programme also provides planning guidance for new greenfield areas, noting that greenfield development proposals may be led through private plan changes to the District Plan.