Fast track consent for Lincoln retirement village

Monday, 13 May 2024

Lincoln is likely to get a large new retirement village with 200 units and a rest home after the project was approved under Covid fast-tracking laws.

Retirement village operator the Arvida Group plans build the complex on an 11.4 hectares of vacant land on Springs Rd just south of the Canterbury township.

Arvida bought the site for $10 million in 2022 from the developers of Verdeco subdivision, which is on the north and west boundaries of the retirement village.

The whole block was previously zoned for business use. It was rezoned for medium density housing in mid-2023 under the fast tracking legislation.

In December Arvida applied to the Environmental Protection Authority for resource consent for the project. An independent consenting panel approved the project on Friday.

Roading and lighting on Springs Rd by the development must be upgraded as a condition of the consent.

The decision can be appealed within 15 working days through the High Court. Under the fast track consenting law, an appeal can only be lodged on questions of law, and by an affected party.

As well as the 200 residential units, the development would have a single-storey rest home with 36 suites, a clubhouse with cafe and indoor swimming pool, and other facilities for residents.

Designs for the one to three-bedroom units range in size from 75m² to 195m². Most will have garages.

Arvida is a publicly listed company with assets of $4 billion across New Zealand, according to its latest financial result.

It has 35 villages housing 6750 residents. These include six retirement villages in Christchurch, in the suburbs of Cashmere, Ilam, Upper Riccarton, Sockburn, Riccarton and Ilam.

Lincoln is already a fast-growing town with a population of over 10,000.