Special Housing Areas simply ad hoc tinkering

Nick Smith’s extension of Special Housing Area legislation does nothing to address the fundamental barriers to housing supply, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Special Housing Areas make easy photo-ops, but are little more than ad hoc tinkering,” says Mr Seymour.

“Rather than having bureaucrats set aside particular patches of land for intensification, the Minister could simplify land use regulations across Auckland. This would allow housing development in areas of real demand, without causing disproportionate infrastructure pressure on any particular area.

“After years of big talk, the Government has pushed RMA reform under the carpet. They’ve also failed to remove Auckland’s Metro-Urban Limit, or plan for infrastructure funding, despite making some of the right noises.

“ACT is committed to increasing housing supply, and so will support this legislation as a tiny step in the right direction. But it’s not enough to just suspend reality on selected city blocks – we need to fix a fundamentally broken housing market.”

ENDS

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