Housing supply set for big boost
Goff says the extra homes will help ‘bridge the shortfall’
Auckland’s housing supply is set for a big boost after there was almost one-third more new homes given approval for construction than a year earlier, planners say.
The Auckland Council figures showed that in the first six months of the year, 12,300 new dwellings were given approval to be built — the highest number since 2004.
The number of consents granted in the 10 months to May were also up 27 per cent compared with the same period the year before.
About 90 per cent of these are to be built in Auckland’s existing urban area.
Mayor Phil Goff said the extra homes would help “bridge the shortfall of houses needed to cater for our rapid population growth”.
“[They were also] helping deliver a more compact city, ensuring Aucklanders are living closer to transport links, employment centres and public amenities,” he said.
The growth in planned construction comes as many commentators have lamented Auckland’s lack of housing supply as a major reason why values have skyrocketed over the past decade.
In many city suburbs, home values have more than doubled since the last market peak in 2007.
Shortly after coming to office, the Labour-led government claimed nearly 45,000 new homes were ● ● ● needed in Auckland to address the shortage. The previous National Government more conservatively estimated the shortage across the country to be 35,000-40,000 homes.
Analysts CoreLogic also welcomed the continued growth in Auckland consents in a separate report released yesterday.
Senior analyst Kelvin Davidson said the “absolutely necessary housebuilding upswing” was great news.
“The general consensus seems to be that we’re now at levels of construction in Auckland that at least stop the existing shortfall from getting any worse,” he said.
The city’s major planning document, the Auckland Unitary Plan, makes room for more than one million new dwellings to be built in the future, with recent estimates suggesting around 340,000 are “commercially feasible”, Auckland Council said. About 60 per cent of this future growth is planned for existing urban areas.
Auckland Council’s planning committee chair and councillor Chris Darby said the plans to build most new housing in existing urban areas meant the range of housing stock, ranging from apartments to larger homes, would increase. We are in receipt of the letter dated June 10th regarding the Williamson Park Resource Consent notification.
This letter is worded in such a way that, to us, it gives the false impression that the regular events [such as Beach Hop] based at the Park are in jeopardy if the Consent doesn’t go through.
It just so happens that you’ve added a short sentence at the end of the first paragraph stating that ... the Consent will allow ‘new events’ to happen at the Park. Isn’t this the whole reason for all this Consent process to be going on? So you can allow “pay for entry” events and go directly against the Williamson Family park gifting wishes??
All the regular events currently held at the Park do not incur any admission charges which is in line with the Gifting Document from the Williamson Family when they generously gifted the Park to the people of Whangamata for ALL to enjoy.
We also believe that its contrary to The Reserves Act which requires free public access to the Park at all times.
The proposed District Plan has been amended by Council to enforce a Resource Consent requirement for any gatherings of more than 500 people.
Why has the Council done this when, to our knowledge, no other council in NZ has such a requirement??
Regular events have been successfully held without the need for any special consents
{eg New Years and Xmas concerts}. Will we be charged in future for these events??
It seems to us, and many other residents/ratepayers, that the council is ‘‘bending over backwards” to allow commercial operators the right to operate large pay for entry events to be held on Williamson Park.
Is it correct that the council contributed to the cost of the “Shapeshifters” concert with subsidised fencing etc.
Is this true?? Why??
This has meant the closing off of the majority of the Park with ugly black temporary fencing and rows of even uglier “Portaloos”. This has severely restricting public access to “their park and beach” during the height of the summer period. To suggest that “Promoters” will not be allowed to stage their events during the so called peak capacity of is ridiculous and a “Red Herring”. In truth the peak extends from mid December to early March. And also possibly devious in that the Local Board may consider other consents in this peak period. We believe that there are factually incorrect and misleading statements in this letter. We are also amazed that the council is intending to allow the sale and consumption of alcohol at these proposed concerts when a total liquor ban has been in place over the summer period.
Are you proposing that we go back to the riots of yesteryears. It took decades to get this under control and we don’t want to go back to that. You have also stated in an earlier application that you had the support of the local police. We challenge that, as we believe the Police Local Commander is opposed to any changes to the present Alcohol Bylaws, and in fact is likely to oppose any concerts on Williamson Park.
Mount Maunganui is a case in point where they no longer have any concerts in the summer holiday period {December through January} and now have no problems with alcohol and rowdy young people.
For more information go to: savewilliamsonpark.org.nz