National Policy Statement confirms what is already being done
I knew with this weak Government for the last eight years not to expect much with a National Policy Statement that would strengthen provisions to make Greenfield and Brownfield development in Auckland easier than in the past. Effectively codifying the Unitary Plan with the intensification provisions leaning towards what Housing New Zealand and MBIE were submitting on to the Independent Hearings Panel. Well the draft National Policy Statement for urban development was released by Minister Dr Nick Smith earlier today and going through it the NPS is a very weak willed document if was to address the urban constraint issues facing Auckland.
The draft National Policy Statement in summary:
- Provide sufficient land for new housing to match with projected growth
- Monitor and respond to housing affordability, building and resource consent data and value of land in the urban boundaries
- Over supply housing by about 20 percent in the medium term so as to ensure competition
- Councils must work together to coordinate infrastructure and ensure consenting processes are “customer focused”.
- When considering projects housing affordability and land supply must be considered alongside “local interests”.
…..
Effectively this weak draft National Policy Statement confirms what the Regional Policy Statement in the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (through Topic 013 in the previous Hearings) is actually going to do once the Unitary Plan goes live in October.
With no provisions of a Vacant Land Tax on urban zoned land, no stumping up to help with infrastructure, no mass State Housing building program, and this “local interests” provisions meaning the NIMBY provision of our planning continues to live long the Government again has continued the facade of doing something while doing absolutely nothing.
A disappointment from the Government but one I have come to expect from it over its administration so far.
The draft National Policy Statement
Talking Southern Auckland 