Marlborough District Council has commissioned a survey to investigate what is important to Blenheim households when choosing a place to live. The results from the survey will help Marlborough District Council plan for the kinds of houses the town needs in the future.

Participants will be recruited by telephone and directed to an online survey. Each respondent will be asked about what is important to them in a house, including location, the number of bedrooms, purchase or rental price, and more. The survey begins today, Thursday 25 November.

Council Strategic Planner Emma Toy says Blenheim’s population could increase to over 34,000 by 2048, according to Statistics New Zealand projections.

“To meet this level of growth, Blenheim will need a significant number of new homes to be built over the next 30 years, and Council wants to hear directly from the community about their housing preferences.”

“What type of home do you want to live in? Would you prefer a unit, an apartment or a standalone home? How many bedrooms do you need? What amenities do you need close by? And what can you afford?”

She says under the National Policy Statement for Urban Development (NPS-UD), released in 2020, councils are tasked with providing enough land for growth for both housing and business activity in their urban environments, and Blenheim meets that definition.

“The NPS-UD directs local authorities to provide enough zoned land and infrastructure, and ensure that planning is responsive to changes in demand.”

“New development capacity should be of a form and in locations that meet the diverse needs of communities and encourage well-functioning, liveable urban environments.”

The survey will have a sample of 400 respondents from the Blenheim urban area, which includes Renwick, with quotas set to include age bands and geographic areas. This sample size is required to deliver survey results with an overall sampling error of +/- 5%. The survey will be carried out by Research First.

Notes for Editors

Marlborough District Council’s principal role in enabling urban development relates to the zoning of land and infrastructure provision. Its policies relating to urban development are set out in the new Marlborough Environment Plan.

Council’s role also includes the processing of resource and building consents, provision of senior housing and development contributions policies. The Council has itself been a developer in the past, subdividing land that it owns to provide for residential growth, such as Forest Park and Boulevard Park on Taylor.

Many individuals and organisations play a role in housing development, including developers, landowners, builders, government agencies including Kainga Ora, community housing providers, development professionals and individuals who buy, sell and invest in property.

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