Auckland Director Leroy Beckett:

 “Auckland finally has a plan for housing that will meet demand. The Unitary Plan isn't designed to give anyone everything they want, it's the result of years of public submissions and expert testimony The time for political grandstanding is over, the council need to get on with it and pass the plan.

Council planning rules, in their current form, unduly restrict housing development and the mixture of housing types that can be built in places where people want to live. By passing the Unitary Plan Auckland can build more homes close to where people work and study.

By significantly increasing the supply and mixture of housing in areas where people already want to live all housing across the city will become more affordable. The current rules have meant the median income to median house price rate exceeds 1:9. A ratio that is considered affordable is closer to 1:3.

The plan won’t please everyone, but it follows the compact city model put forward in the Auckland Plan and will prevent young people being pushed into unnecessarily large homes on the urban fringe.

A study released last November on housing choices in Auckland found that just half want  detached dwellings as their final housing choice, 25% want an attached dwelling such as a terraced house, 15% want to live in a low-rise apartment and 8% are after living in a high-rise apartment.

The Unitary Plan will not solve the housing crisis on it’s own, but it is an urgent first step.”

ENDS

Contact:

Leroy Beckett, Spokesperson, 021 023 75 131

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