Record number of new homes approved in booming Selwyn district

Sunday, 9 January 2022

Homes in the Faringdon development in Rolleston, one of the fast-growing parts of Selwyn. (File photo)

Nearly 2000 new homes were approved for construction in Selwyn during 2021, a new annual record for the fast-growing Canterbury district.

Selwyn, to the west of Christchurch and capturing towns like Rolleston and Lincoln, is now home to an estimated 73,600 people, according to Stats NZ.

In the year to June 2021, its population is estimated to have grown by 4.8 per cent, more than any other area nationwide for that period.

In 2021, the Selwyn District Council approved 1975 building consents for new homes, mostly in Rolleston and Lincoln. Total building consents, not just new builds, finished at a record-setting 2940.

Shipping gridlock, empty shelves, a depleted workforce, record building permits and the rise of house prices have shaped the building industry. (First published December 14, 2021)

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Selwyn Builders owner Steve Cusdin says construction in Rolleston, Lincoln and Prebbleton has “taken off massively”.

The next-best years were 2020 and 2014, which both saw about 2800 consents approved.

Steve Cusdin, owner of Selwyn Builders Ltd, said he saw a spike in enquiries last year.

A couple of years ago he would have been able to help people within six months, but that has since pushed out to 12 to 18 months, he said.

The Selwyn District Council took an average of 30 days to approve a building consent in December. (File photo)

Rolleston, Lincoln and Prebbleton have “taken off massively”.

“I don’t see it slowing down. We're fairly well booked out for the year.”

Cusdin said 2021 was made more difficult due to supply issues and delays getting consents approved.

He said he had to wait 50 to 60 days for some consents, but noted times were improving.

The average wait time for a building consent in Selwyn in December was 30 days, Selwyn District Council building manager Vanessa Mitchell said.

Consents were supposed to be processed by councils within 20 days.

Mitchell said the council had hired more staff during 2021. It has also continued developing an “on the job” training programme and a process to fast-track some consents.

“We are working hard to reduce time frames,” Mitchell said.

Delays were not limited to Selwyn.

In Christchurch, just over half of the 4183 residential building consents approved in 2021 were dealt with inside the 20-day timeframe.

Christchurch City Council acting head of building consenting Mark Urlich said the council would address the delays by recruiting more staff and employing external contractors in 2022.

Consent applications in 2021 increased by 20 per cent compared to the year before, Urlich said, a stark difference to the council’s prediction that they could fall by 30 per cent.

“While it has been a busier year, we've had less resource available to meet the current demand.”

Halswell led the way with the most building consents approved, he said. St Albans and Burwood were also high.

In the Waimakariri district, which covers Rangiora and Kaiapoi, 928 new homes were consented in 2021, a spokesman said.

This was a jump from 2020 – when just under 600 new builds were consented.