11 September 2024

Media: TVNZ (Sunday morning Q&A show)

Topic: Emergency housing

Enquiry

A reporter from TVNZ requested an interview on the current state of emergency housing in Rotorua.

Response

Mayor Tapsell’s response covered the following points:

• Positive progress made to date with over 60% reduction in emergency housing motels.
• Expressed gratitude to Restore Rotorua and the Rotorua community for their strong advocacy on the issue because of their passion for Rotorua.
• Discussed tenancies and backpackers, whether pauses on Kāinga Ora build programmes have impacted Rotorua.
• Opportunities for community housing providers, including iwi, to take local leadership approach, provide solutions and manage areas previously identified for KO builds.
• Positive discussions with Ministers and confidence that the Government is making emergency housing a priority across the country and fortunately in Rotorua.

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Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Apartment size requirements

Enquiry

I was wondering if someone could please provide me with the rule for min apartment size in Roto?

If this varies, then please for the fenton st area as was discussed in the meeting today?

Follow-up enquiry:

if possible, am I able to please have JP elaborate on: He said Tapsell was correct there was a risk, as the council rules “protect us from negative”.
What specifically does it protect from?

Response

From Rotorua Lakes Council Spokesperson:

We aim to ensure that our community has the right kind of homes: ones that are healthy, safe, and suitable. Implementing the correct standards is crucial to achieving this goal.

For instance, consider converting a motel into residential units. We have a minimum size for an apartment of 35m2 in size, and a one-bedroom unit must be at least 45m2, plus additional living space requirements for the zone on Fenton Street. These dimensions are generally larger than typical motel units. So, converting a motel into residential apartments would require significant reconfiguration to ensure that they achieve the expected standards for residential use.

City Centre:

CCZ-S4 Residential unit design

1. Minimum size of residential units

1. The minimum net floor area of a studio unit shall be 35m2
2. The minimum net floor area of a 1 bedroom unit shall be 45m2

Commercial

COMZ-S5 Residential unit design and landscaping

1. Minimum size of residential units

1. The minimum net floor area a studio unit shall be 35m2
2. The minimum net floor area a 1 bedroom unit shall be 45m2

Outdoor living space (per unit)

a. Commercial 4 Zone:

i. A residential unit at ground floor level must have an outdoor living space that is at

least 20m2 and that comprises ground floor, or balcony, patio, or roof terrace space

that,—

1. where located at ground level, has no dimension less than 3m; and

2. where provided in the form of a balcony, patio, or roof terrace, is at least 6m2

and has a minimum dimension of 1.5m.

3. is accessible from the residential unit; and

4. may be—

1. grouped cumulatively by area in 1 communally accessible location; or
2. located directly adjacent to the unit; and
3. is free of buildings, parking spaces, and servicing and manoeuvring areas.

ii. A residential unit located above ground floor level must have an outdoor living space in the form of a balcony, patio, or roof terrace that—

1. is at least 6m2
2. has a minimum dimension of 1.5m:
3. is accessible from the residential unit; and
4. may be—
5. grouped cumulatively by area in 1 communally accessible location, in which case it may be located at ground level; or
6. located directly adjacent to the unit.

What this means for Comm 4 (Fenton St) is that a consent is required to convert the motel to a residential unit – standards apply and if not adequately addressed it can be declined. See below. Link is commercial-zones (rotorualakescouncil.nz) – page 44. Conversion of buildings, includes motel units. Does this make sense to you? In essence, a conversion still has to comply with those performance standards, just like a new build would.