Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Residential re-zoning approved in record time

First Auckland Housing Accord residential re-zoning approved in record time

Auckland Council has approved a re-zoning and resource consent for the development of 31 hectares in the Whenuapai Village Special Housing Area (SHA), paving the way for more than 650 new homes.

It’s the first concurrent plan variation and qualifying development (QD) consent to be approved in New Zealand, as anticipated under the Auckland Housing Accord.

The land was zoned ‘future urban’ which prevented immediate development. The new zoning, ‘mixed housing suburban’, which was approved within 101 working days of the application being lodged by Oyster Capital Limited, means sections and homes can now be built.

The Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act provides for applications to be processed within 130 working days. This is a radical departure from the resource management processes which could otherwise require close to a five-year delay.

“This first conversion of a big chunk of Auckland land into live residential zonings is the exciting start of around a dozen such plan variations we’re expecting to come through the council this year,” said Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse. “These will be a huge boost to the amount of serviced land available across Auckland for rapid residential development and it’s a huge achievement to have the re-zoning approved quickly and just in time for the earthworks season.”

The council’s Housing Project Office (HPO) fast-track consenting process means that it has resolved many issues directly with the applicant and co-ordinated feedback from infrastructure providers before the consent application was lodged.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

The consent for stages 1-4 of the development is for 168 residential sections and 14 super-lots. The latter will be re-developed to enable 651 residential lots at full build-out over several years. The consent is also for bulk earthworks, the creation of a proposed town park, relocation of a villa on the site to be used as a café and a discharge consent.

Whenuapai Village was among the third tranche of SHAs announced following the signing of the Auckland Housing Accord, which provides for the creation of SHAs by Auckland Council with the approval of Government, and QD consents in the areas are able to be streamlined and fast-tracked.

Four tranches have so far been announced with 84 established to date. These areas will help boost Auckland’s housing supply including that of quality affordable homes.

Ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.