15 August 2016

Unitary Plan means no more excuses for Govt

The National Government has no more excuses for the Auckland housing crisis now that Auckland Council has passed the Unitary Plan, the Green Party said today.

“This is a big step towards building a better, more affordable Auckland, and now the ball is in the Government’s court,” Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter said.

“National needs to make the Unitary Plan work properly by building affordable homes, cracking down on property speculators, fixing the Building Code, and investing in public transport.

“National will have to stop blaming Auckland Council, planning rules, and land supply for the housing crisis, and start actually doing its bit to solve the problem.

“On balance, the Unitary Plan will probably allow more suburban sprawl than it should, so we’ll need to make sure that new suburbs are built as communities with safe streets and good public transport, not just endless rows of houses.

“It’s been great to see common sense win out over mandatory minimum parking. Ending minimum parking rules will save money and allow exciting mixed use developments.

“The Unitary Plan isn’t perfect, however, and Auckland Council needs to act fast to make sure sites of cultural significance to Māori are protected, because the plan doesn’t seem to do that adequately,” said Ms Genter.

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