25 July 2012

Council taking steps to improve housing affordability

Auckland Council is making steady progress in its campaign to make housing more available and affordable, says Regional Development and Operations Committee chair, Councillor Ann Hartley.

The committee endorsed a two-stage approach to a housing strategic action plan.

Stage one focuses on the tools the council can use to improve housing supply and affordability. These include assessing the impact of regulatory fees and rates on housing costs, using council land and development partnerships to increase housing, further improvements to consent processes, and incentivising upgrades of existing houses.

New zoning options and future urban land requirements will be incorporated into the new Unitary Plan.

The committee will receive a report on stage one proposals in December this year and a report on stage two scoping in March 2013.

“The council is talking to many people across the housing industry and with central government to achieve some consensus on how best we can all help ease the housing burden on our citizens,” says Councillor Hartley.

“We know Auckland is in the grip of a housing crisis but all industry parties have to contribute to the solution.

“The Auckland Plan gives strong direction on how we can build up the housing stock through the principles of a quality compact city which aims for well-planned, well-designed higher density housing offering a range of housing choices.

“The Unitary Plan, which will set the rules, will play a major part in ensuring a quality approach with a mix of dwellings and neighbourhoods across Auckland,” she adds.

Auckland needs about 10,000 to 13,000 new dwellings a year but is currently only building around 2,500.

ENDS

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