The government has made a directive to increase housing density, which the Christchurch City Council is considering challenging, despite the prospect of a hard battle.
A member of the Hornby-Halswell-Riccarton Community Board, Helen Broughton, has been fighting for years to reduce the density, particularly in Riccarton.
In some areas of the suburb, a single home has been replaced with four, four-bedroom townhouses being rented out by the room, sometimes with two people per room. That could potentially lead to 32 cars, she said.
In many cases, off-street parking is becoming a rarity, which is putting pressure on street parking.
Central Riccarton Residents’ Association president Joscelyne Silcock has told the city council it was depressing to walk around parts of the suburb and see how few outdoor spaces most developments had.
At some, the only garden area was a 30-centimetre strip running along the length of the access way. Others have no plantings, only weeds growing.