Dr Nick Smith Technically Announces same Budget Policy as a year ago
I see Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith is doing the old pie rewarmed from the pie warmer trick in regards to housing (meaning doing something to cover over doing nothing which he really is).
From NZ Herald:
Deals signed off for 740 more Auckland homes
4:03 PM Monday May 23, 2016 – Isaac Davidson
The Government has signed off deals to build 740 homes on spare land in Auckland, some of which must be sold for “affordable” prices.
Housing Minister Nick Smith confirmed this afternoon that the Government had completed negotiations on three sites in Manukau, Mt Albert, and Waterview.
The biggest development was a 1.85 hectare site at Manukau Station Road, where up to 600 apartments would be built. The land was bought off the Auckland Council.
A 0.91 hectare site on Great North Road in Waterview would fit another 80 new homes. It was previously owned by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and was leased to a boarding hostel.
The 0.47 hectare site in Mt Albert, on the corner of New North Road and Soljak Place, was bought from the NZTA and a private landowner and will fit 60 townhouse apartments.
Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Limited Partnership would be given first right of refusal on the Mt Albert site as part of the iwi’s Treaty settlement.
Development agreements were expected to be signed off between August and the end of the year, and the first houses were expected to be built on the sites within 18 months.
The developments which featured apartments were likely to take up to two years.
“This process is more complicated where there are tenants or multiple titles involving private land to make the optimum site for housing development,” Dr Smith said.
A portion of the houses built on each site must be sold for an “affordable” price – around $600,000.
…….
Source and full article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11643495
Now does this sound all familiar?
Let’s try the following from the same time last year:
430 Hectares of Crown Land Could Be Used for Housing
The realising the Manukau land belongs to Council: So that Crown Land Actually Belongs to the Council Minister – Ooooops #AKLPols
To which lead to this: Exclusive: Would You Want To Live Here? #AKLPols
And finally this: Housing Minister Blames Who For His Policy Botch Up? #AKLPols
And here we are a year later with the Housing Minister saying 600 apartments will be built on the Manukau site as highlighted below:
Interesting to hear the Minister mention Council (so Panuku Development Auckland) have sold the site to the Crown for housing development. While I know the site was cleared for sale I am curious to see it go to the Crown which means is Housing New Zealand going to develop it?
In any case and apart from notifications on the land being sold from Council for intense housing (600 apartments in a Metropolitan Zone area) lacking I wonder if the Minister also realises that the condition of Panuku releasing land is on a strict partnership on what can be built. Sure it might be 600 apartments but the urban design requirements will be rather strict as we don’t need the development looking cheap and nasty.
In the end though it seems yesterday’s announcement was again another example of the Minister giving us a rewarmed pie from a year ago…. And no we wont need to blow on that pie either…
Talking Southern Auckland 