A fourth tranche of 17 Special Housing Areas (SHAs) that would yield more than 8000 additional new homes across Auckland was today announced by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown.
"The Auckland Housing Accord was agreed 11 months ago and since then, it has facilitated thousands more sections to be developed and thousands more homes to be built. The latest tranche brings the total number of Special Housing Areas in Auckland to 80, with a potential yield of up to 41,500 homes. This is the momentum and scale we need to improve housing affordability and supply in our largest city," Dr Smith says.
The Auckland Housing Accord, which was agreed in October 2013 by Dr Smith and Mr Brown, provides for the creation of SHAs by Auckland Council with the approval of the Government. Qualifying developments in these areas can be streamlined and fast-tracked. The first tranche of SHAs was announced at the time the Accord was agreed and provided for 6000 homes across 11 Special Housing Areas. The second tranche in December last year provided for a further 11 Areas and 9500 homes, and the third tranche in May this year provided 41 Areas and 18,000 homes.
"The Special Housing Areas are making a real difference to the number of homes developers are building and planning to build at a range of different price points," Mr Brown says.
"The council is seeing an exciting pipeline of construction activity which will result in quality residential neighbourhoods in 2015 and beyond. The Auckland Housing Accord is really starting to have a positive effect on the provision of new homes in Auckland, with almost 81,000 new dwellings and sections in the pipeline throughout Auckland over the next 12 years."