Horowhenua District Council is proposing a change to its District Plan which could open the door for up to 500 new homes in Levin.

But first, Council wants to hear feedback from the community on the proposed change.

Proposed Plan Change 6A seeks to rezone 22ha of land on the northwest of Levin (off Ryder Crescent, Kawiu Road and Sudeng Street) from Deferred Residential (Future Residential) to Residential. This land is one of Council’s identified urban growth areas – known as Levin North West 1 (LNW1).

If approved, the rezoning will allow urban-scale subdivision to happen, enabling 400 to 500 dwellings on a range of section sizes, along with some small-scale neighbourhood retail activity and greenspace/reserve land. Subdivision and development will be guided by a structure plan, which sets out key features such as roads and reserves.

A ‘plan change’ is the process for making changes to Council's District Plan. This process can be started by either the Council or by a private party. In this case, Proposed Plan Change 6A was proposed by a group of four private landowners (one of whom is Kāinga Ora) but Council adopted the Proposed Plan Change as its own plan change in October 2024, as it aligns with Council’s strategic plan, including the Horowhenua Growth Strategy.

LNW1 has been identified as an area for rezoning since the Horowhenua Development Plan in 2008. The area was rezoned from Rural to Residential Deferred (Future Residential) which became operative in 2014. The area was then reaffirmed as a growth area in the Horowhenua Growth Strategy 2040, which was prepared in 2018. The proposed re-zoning is the next step in the process to enable development to happen. If the rezoning is approved, housing will be built by both Kāinga Ora and private developers.

Proposed Plan Change 6A aims to rezone an existing growth area to allow for residential and some small scale local retail development. The proposed plan change seeks to deliver several key outcomes for development in the area, including:

• a connected and integrated future-proof development that represents good urban design;
• good variety of housing types;
• low impact, sustainable servicing solutions and encourages the use of sustainable transport options;
• facilities and open spaces that meet the needs of the community;
• a development that maintains and enhances the cultural, heritage, and ecological values of the area.

To find out more about Proposed Plan Change 6A and have your say, go to letskorero.horowhenua.govt.nz/PPC6A. Submissions close at 5pm on Wednesday 14 May 2025.

Want to know more about how we’re planning for growth?

More and more people are realising the Horowhenua District is a great place to be, which means the population is growing. Enabling balanced growth with fit for purpose infrastructure is one of Council’s top priorities and a crucial part of that is drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure.

Thirty percent of Council’s total expenditure relates to growth and 51 percent of Council’s assets are water-related.

Growth is funded through a mixture of development contributions, Council rates, and central Government funding, so the burden does not fall entirely on ratepayers.

In its Long Term plan 2024-44, Council has committed:

• $4.9 million to improved water demand management in Levin, Shannon, and Foxton through installation of water meters.
• $66.7 million over the next 20 years on increasing water storage for Levin and Ōhau/Poads Road.
• $50 million over the next 15 years on upgrading the Levin Water Treatment Plant.
• $47.7 million over the next seven years on Levin Wastewater Treatment Plant Master Plan upgrades.
• $58.4 million over the next 20 years on upgrading the stormwater network.

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