Six storeys in store for suburbs
The council has voted through a series of sweeping changes to the city’s housing regulations.
Yesterday’s Wellington City Council meeting determined whether to accept the recommendations of commissioners on the city’s District Plan – the rules which determine where and how housing can be built within the city.
Mayor Tory Whanau said the decision, which rejected several aspects of the commissioners’ recommendations, represented a “new direction” for the city. “Wellington City is growing, and our housing needs to grow with it.”
Given the city is short on land, housing will grow the only way it can: up. The council was bound to implement the National Policy Statement on Urban Development, but went beyond the requirements to upzone more of the city.
Because the council made changes to the recommendations of commissioners, the final decision would be in the hands of Housing Minister Chris Bishop – who has outlined his views that zoning more land is the route to more affordable housing, and councils will be required to densify where appropriate.
Buildings of six storeys will be allowed in several suburbs, including Crofton Downs, Khandallah and Ngaio because of their proximity to the Johnsonville Train Line.
Mt Victoria, Aro Valley and Newtown will have their character areas – where swathes of villas are protected from development
– significantly reduced in order to allow more housing closer to the city. Other character areas were reduced as well, an overall reduction from 206 hectares to 85ha.
Outside of the reduced character areas, apartments will be allowed everywhere within 15 minutes’ walking distance of the city centre, along with the centres of Johnsonville, Tawa and Churton Park.
“This is not my wishlist, my wishlist would be a lot longer,” said YIMBY (yes in my back yard) councillor Rebecca Matthews, who moved the amendments to reduce character areas and increase the radius where upzoning would be allowed.
There was disquiet from some councillors about changing the panel’s recommendations. Barrister Nick Whittington provided the council with legal advice
emphasising how rare it was to depart from the recommendations of the panel, who had the benefit of hearing all the submissions in person.
Diane Calvert accused her colleagues of having an attitude that “goes about trying to discredit the panel and undermines our democratic process”.
The debate over housing often turned to the personal. Ben McNulty spoke about his experience trying to buy a house, and Nicola Young supported removing a heritage listing from the Wharenui Apartments in part because her sister lives there and says it has been a struggle to do even basic renovations like double-glazing.
Iona Pannett spoke at length about her experiences living in Mt Victoria, a suburb that she denied was privileged. Her street was representative of Wellington, she believed. Because of the close-together sections she could hear her neighbour “listening to the radio in a language from a minority that is very underprivileged”.
“There’s people with different income levels ... I don’t want luxury housing in the inner-city. I want to keep it really diverse.”
Tim Brown said he did not believe the council would change affordability through its plan.
“Nothing that we do today will make it more economic. We are an expensive city to build in, the cost to build is more than just the availability of land.”
The meeting was at times fiery, with raised voices and points of order over insults traded between councillors.
In response to Pannett’s comments about gentrification, McNulty said she was talking about the most gentrified part of the city.
He was also frustrated at comments from Brown that zoning would not lead to more affordable housing.
“Wellington City is growing, and our housing needs to grow with it.” Tory Whanau, Wellington mayor
“Which one is it? Tell me. Zoning will not lead to housing, if that’s the case, what’s the issue? By your own admission zoning is not going to lead to housing. So what do you care?”