Housing development 20pc ahead of target

Consent figures are up and more houses are in the pipeline for Auckland, exceeding the first-year expectations of the Auckland Housing Accord.

The accord’s annual monitoring report was released on November 26.

More than 11,000 new land and building consents have been approved in the past year, 20 per cent above the target of 9000.

But there is still more work to be done to meet the second and third year targets.

The accord was signed by the Government and Auckland Council in October 2013 to fast-track housing development.

It resulted in the creation of the Auckland Council Housing Project Office ( HPO) and the introduction of special housing areas dotted across the city.

Mayor Len Brown says the areas are setting up a solid foundation to meet targets for the next two years.

Developments have already been approved for almost 480 sections, he says.

‘‘We have moved quickly to establish the special housing areas, where construction is now under way at full steam.

‘‘We have got diggers on the ground at sites across Auckland and there is huge potential in the pipeline.’’

Housing Minister Nick Smith says the aim is to rapidly increase supply and contain house price increases.

It is important to stay on track, he says.

There is still an estimated shortfall of about 20,000 dwellings across Auckland.

The accord hopes to see 13,000 consents approved within the next year and another 17,000 in the year following.

‘‘The second and third year targets remain ambitious, but they were designed to stretch us.

‘‘They reinforce the need for the Government and Auckland Council to keep our foot on the accelerator.’’

The accord has seen 80 special housing areas put in place across Auckland.

Five houses have been built in special housing areas so far and 18 more are expected to be complete by the end of the year.

Suburbs affected in the Central Leader area include Mt Eden, Mt Albert, Mt Roskill, Sandringham, Onehunga, Newmarket, New Windsor and One Tree Hill.

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