via Bob Dey Unitary plan one step from being notified, housing accord bill passed 2 major development documents for Auckland passed critical stages this week – Auckland Council’s draft unitary plan completed the committee stage leading to notification and the housing accord bill passed its third reading in Parliament. There is still scope for discord between government & council, but the path is set for more land for housing to become available sooner, while the unitary sets the parameters for change in the city. The Housing Accords & Special Housing Areas Bill has been set to come into effect on Monday 16 September, on the assumption that the council will approve the unitary plan for notification and also agree to sign the housing accord when it meets next Tuesday, 10 September. Following those steps, the regulations will be in place for special housing areas to be opened up. Housing Minister Nick Smith is enthusiastic about a quick lift in construction, but the implementation section on the council’s housing accord agenda item indicates progress will still be measured. The unitary plan After a meeting that lasted 5 days, Auckland Council’s Auckland Plan committee endorsed the draft unitary plan last night so it could be recommended to the council’s governing body next Tuesday for public notification. Assuming the governing body approves the plan for notification, that step will be taken by the end of this month, a fortnight before the local body elections. There will be formal submissions periods next year (distinct from what was an informal feedback period leading up to the last fortnight’s consideration by the council committee), followed by hearings by a panel chosen by the Government with input from the council, and then an appeals period. The whole of that exercise is expected to take another 3 years – a short timeframe in local body district plan terms. The housing accord The housing accord bill is to come into effect once the council agrees to notify the unitary plan. Mr Smith said after Parliament passed it yesterday: “Parliament’s passage of this new housing law today is a vital step to getting momentum & pace into residential housing development. Next Tuesday I expect the Auckland Council to adopt their housing accord and to notify their draft unitary plan. This new law takes effect the following Monday, enabling the first special housing areas to be considered. My ambition is to have sufficient special housing areas approved by Christmas for at least an additional 5000 homes. “This new law will deliver tens of thousands of new homes. The increased land supply will help take the pressure off the overheated Auckland housing market and help the economic recovery. It will enable tens of thousands of kiwi families to realise the dream of owning their own home. “The game changer in this new law is the unblocking of the constipated planning system. It will enable plan changes & resource consents to be processed simultaneously. It will override Auckland’s metropolitan urban limit. It will enable lowrise greenfield developments to be consented in 6 months, when they previously took 3 years, and lowrise brownfield developments to be consented in 3 months, when they previously took a year. “The Auckland housing accord will be the first to be recognised under this new act. It will enable the Auckland Council to get on and consent the least contentious 39,000 homes of the 400,000 identified in its draft unitary plan, rather than waiting 3 years for it to become operative. The Government is also having discussions with other councils in high-cost housing areas on how the tools in this law can assist in addressing the housing supply & affordability issues in their communities. “The Labour, Greens & NZ First votes against this law [passed 63-56] contradicts all of the advice from the Productivity Commission, Reserve Bank, OECD & IMF that increasing supply is crucial to addressing housing affordability. Their opposition shows they are more interested in playing politics than working with the Government & councils on addressing the real problems affecting the housing market. “The new initiatives in this law are just part of the Government’s substantive programme on housing affordability. We also have work underway to reduce infrastructure costs on sections, address the costs of building materials, improve productivity in the building industry and reduce compliance costs. “Our next phase of Resource Management Act reforms will require councils to plan for 10 years of land supply for housing. We have also announced initiatives to treble the number of Welcome home loans and expand KiwiSaver to help first-home buyers save a larger deposit.” Criteria In a report for the council’s meeting next Tuesday, growth & infrastructure manager David Clelland said the substance of the draft housing accord could remain unchanged, but some amendments were sought to further enhance opportunities for housing affordability & supply and to align the accord with decisions made on the unitary plan. These amendments include: allowing more flexibility in clause 18 for the residential capacity required in greenfield areas expanding the number of zones in which qualifying developments can be applied for – it’s proposed that the mixed use, special purpose (Maori land) and land contained within a precinct be added to the mixed housing (urban & suburban) and terraced & apartment building zones, and including a dispute resolution process as provided for in the legislation (new clause to be included in accord). Mr Clelland said infrastructure providers generally supported establishing special housing areas, particularly as it would help define clear infrastructure requirements & development agreements. He said the development community & landowners had expressed significant interest in the special housing areas, “particularly if it gives them a single point of contact in the council and greater clarity regarding the overall process”. First up on the agenda for the next stage are the criteria to define & establish those special housing areas, which the council is to recommend to the minister. Criteria include achieving a mix of brownfield & greenfield locations in the range of zones above, but the more detailed council requirements will be important. The selected areas must: be consistent with Auckland Plan principles & intent for quality development optimise infrastructure investment and support a rational land release programme be inside the notified rural: urban boundary (RUB) or an existing applicable zonebe compatible with unitary plan provisions (eg, heritage & special character, treaty settlement land). The council view, to be confirmed next Tuesday, sets out requirements for infrastructure to be available & ready: Sufficient & appropriate infrastructure (physical & social) will be provided to support the development Compatibility of that proposed infrastructure with existing infrastructure Compliance of proposed infrastructure with relevant infrastructure standards Capacity of proposed infrastructure and any existing infrastructure to support development, and Infrastructure provider views (eg, wastewater, water supply, stormwater, transport, parks & open spaces, telecommunications, energy, healthcare, education) . Among other points to be considered: Iwi requests &/or views – direct requests where an iwi is the landowner, or views of iwi on other locations including views expressed as part of a previous planning stage Landowner requests &/or views – direct requests from a landowner and their views regarding the desired timing & benefits of being in a special housing area Location – having reasonable access to employment & essential services Local board views gained through discussion with each local board Demand to build – motivated developer ready to go, and likely to achieve early consent activation & the intended yield of sites/dwellings within the accord period Demand for housing – evidence that new homes in a special housing area will meet an existing need Affordability – contribution to housing affordability, either in terms of overall housing supply or pricing of the intended housing product. Implementation process Mr Clelland has set out the steps proposed to enable the final special housing area recommendations to the relevant council committee: Expressions of interest are received through an email portal currently being established Council officers meet interested parties to share information and clarify issues Every candidate site is analysed, with reference to the agreed criteria Advice is sought on key infrastructure that would be needed for development in candidate sites Iwi, local boards & ward councillors are advised and their views sought on shortlisted candidate sites Views of directly affected landowners are sought and close liaison is maintained with local boards regarding local input A brief report is prepared describing every location and how it has achieved compliance with the criteria Final recommendations are made to the relevant council committee. Mr Clelland has recommended that tranches of special housing areas be reported periodically, generally on a quarterly basis, to a council committee for approval. It is proposed that a very small tranche be reported in late September, then subsequent options in December 2013, March 2014 and thereafter on a quarterly basis as required. He said council officers were working to a timeline for applying agreed criteria in the establishment of special housing areas: 10 September, ratification of unitary plan & housing accord, special housing area criteria endorsed Mid-late September, Auckland Plan committee receives advice and provides direction on first tranche of special housing areas Late September. unitary plan notified, governing body endorses first tranche of special housing areas/council recommendations communicated to housing minister Early October, first tranche of special housing areas formally established by order-in-council and communicated to affected parties Early October, council fully ready to implement special housing areas and able to communicate clearly all requirements & processes to interested or affected parties Mid-October, council meets landowners/developers and initiates process to receive first qualifying development applications Late October, council completes analysis of second tranche options Late November, council recommends second tranche March 2014, third tranche established.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 14:16:51 +0000
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