Auckland housing plan cut again – from 2 million to 1.6 million to 1.4 million

The Government has made more changes to Auckland housing plans. Photo / Alex Burton

The Government has again cut the number of new homes potentially enabled by Auckland Council plan changes, this time reducing the minimum number of homes enabled by the plan to 1.4 million.

The number of homes enabled by the plan has been controversial in Auckland: advocates for building more supply warn that housing in the city will remain unaffordable without significant new capacity, while detractors fear Auckland suburbs may be inundated with new, unsightly intensification, putting pressure on aged and frail infrastructure.

The scrap played out in the coalition Government, with the Act Party voicing consistent criticism of intensification plans, which put pressure on some of National’s Auckland MPs, some of whom are concerned that Act is coming for their supporters.

The controversy has seen changes to the plan which would revise down the minimum potential number of additional homes built from two million down to 1.6 million earlier this year, and, as of Tuesday, 1.4 million.

Housing Minister Chris Bishop said: “Aucklanders have been clear that they want housing growth, so long as it happens in the right places and where infrastructure can support it.”

“Cabinet has agreed to revise the minimum housing capacity required by Plan Change 120 [PC120] down from two million to 1.4 million homes,” he said.

Bishop said he believed the new number would “finally brings consensus on this important issue”.

“Aucklanders deserve certainty on this city-shaping plan change,” he said.

Bishop said it was possible that 1.6 million new homes could be brought online by the plan, if other changes were taken into account. It is not expected that all the homes enabled by the plan will be built.

“Advice from officials estimates that capacity enabled by PC120 is still likely to be around 1.6 million homes once mandatory requirements under the National Policy Statement on Urban Development and upzoning around the City Rail Link are taken into account,” he said.

Bishop said he also planned to investigate “provisions that may be holding back Auckland’s city centre, with a view to making regulations under the RMA [Resource Management Act] if the statutory criteria are met”.

“If further opportunities for housing development are enabled through this work, they will count toward PC120’s revised capacity requirement,” he said.

Bishop said the Government plans to progress legislation enabling the changes quickly to “minimise disruption”.

“Once the new capacity requirement is in place, Auckland Council will decide which parts of the plan change to withdraw or amend.

“If parts are withdrawn, the existing Auckland Unitary Plan zoning will remain in place.

“For parts that continue, updated provisions and maps will be made publicly available, and Aucklanders will have further opportunities to provide feedback.”

“This process will be transparent, and Aucklanders will be able to have their say,” Bishop said.