Over the next 10 years, the Kāpiti District is well placed to maximise the benefits and manage the risks of its ongoing growth, but significant work will be required to make sure the best outcomes are achieved and growth over the next 30 years is fully accommodated.
A new region-wide 30-year growth assessment prepared by Wellington’s five urban district councils has been released today, outlining the region’s ability to cater for anticipated business and residential growth to 2047.
By 2047 the Wellington region can expect a population of up to 550,000 and 610,000 by 2047. Kāpiti can expect an estimated population increase of around 13,000 by 2047 – from the 2017 population of 52,345 to 65,785. This equates to an estimated 6000 new dwellings needed over the next 30 years.
Kāpiti Coast District Council Chief Executive Wayne Maxwell says the anticipated growth is welcomed and not unexpected, but will bring some challenges alongside the opportunities.
“Kāpiti has been in growth mode for some time so this is not a new issue for us, but it is one we need to continue to plan carefully for with our partners in central and local government and the community,” Mr Maxwell says.
“The big challenge is housing and there is sufficient development capacity for the next decade to house an additional estimated 4000 people. But looking out to 2047 we will need to think about how we can realise this opportunity in a way that meets the needs of our communities.”
“We’re also very aware that our growth could quickly outstrip these forecasts and we need to look at a range of growth scenarios.”
Councillor Rob McCann, who holds the housing portfolio, says a range of options will need to be considered.
“The Government is asking us to look at growing both up and out including the potential for increasing housing capacity in urban areas, particularly around transport hubs and town centres, so we will continue that conversation,” Mr McCann says.
“We’re also looking at ways to make sure we have a good supply of affordable housing.”
The assessment process also identified growth to the north of the district, partially in response to the construction of the expressway.
Mr Maxwell says preparing for growth is about more than freeing up land, with water, transport and open space networks a key focus. Work is already underway in these areas with significant plans in place.
“There’s no point just making land available if we can’t also provide other essential infrastructure, and we are working towards this. A good example of this is our work to maintain and improve the supply of drinking water to meet Kāpiti’s future needs.”
You can read the full Housing and Business Capacity Assessment here.
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