Positive signs on the housing front
‘‘I’m confident that we are on the right track.’’
Results from the latest housing update of the Wellington Regional Housing and Business Development Capacity Assessment (HBA) for Ka¯ piti confirm that while there is a housing shortfall, the district is reasonably well-placed to deal with expected growth in housing.
An HBA is carried out every three years to help councils provide sufficient development capacity to meet residential and business needs for the next 30 years.
It estimates the type and location of future housing demand and compares this against the current development capacity available across the next three, 10, and 30-year periods. It includes an analysis of capacity of infrastructure to support growth, such as three waters (drinking, storm and waste) and transport.
Alongside regular monitoring of local housing and business markets, the HBA provides evidence to inform councils, developers and other stakeholders planning investment to support current and future housing and business needs.
The HBA is jointly prepared by the six councils covering the Wellington urban area.
Mayor K Gurunathan says the updated HBA strengthens the council’s understanding of housing trends and demands.
‘‘Ka¯piti has been in growth mode for some time and the latest report complements the work council has already been doing to plan and prepare for growth, and better understand housing need in the district,’’ says Gurunathan.
‘‘The council’s recently adopted growth and housing strategies, and changes to the District Plan in response to the Government’s directive to enable greater intensification, aim to ensure we have sufficient development capacity to accommodate the additional 32,000 people who are anticipated to make Ka¯piti their home over the next 30 years.
‘‘I’m confident that we are on the right track and if everyone plays their part – central government, council working with our iwi partners, developers, and community housing providers – growth can be managed sustainably and responsibly across the district.’’
Councillor Rob McCann, who holds the housing portfolio, says changes in the planning space to enable greater intensification in urban areas, particularly around transport hubs and town centres, will help ensure Ka¯piti grows well.
‘‘[The] council’s recently completed Housing Needs and Social Impact Assessment shows just how much pressure there is on the system.
‘‘If we really want to shift the needle and ensure people have access to housing both now and in the future, we do need to change the way we think about intensification,’’ McCann says.
‘‘Whether we like it or not our district’s typography and natural features impact where and how our district continues to grow.
‘‘We have significant opportunities to develop and increase density within existing urban areas and this will be an increasingly important factor for meeting future housing demand.’’
The report identified that while infrastructure capacity continues to be generally available across most areas of the district in the short to medium term, the increase in growth presents challenges and opportunities for how longerterm growth is supported.
The timing of the HBA did not take into account recent Government-led changes under way to allow intensification.