Unexpected bedfellows emerge in early Unitary Plan reactions

Early reaction to the recommendations of an independent hearings panel for the final version of Auckland's new Unitary Plan has exposed some unexpected bedfellows, with Labour and Auckland's peak business body finding much to criticise, while the Greens and Property Council have lined up on threats to protection for cultural heritage.

The Labour Party is highly critical of recommendations that remove the requirement for a proportion of new dwellings to meet 'affordable' benchmarks, saying the panel is effectively encouraging the government's 'hands-off' approach to the Auckland housing affordability crisis.

However, the government, which has fired potshots at Auckland Council for the last few months, was circumspect. Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith welcomed the panel's recommendations and acknowledged they posed "a major challenge for the council".

"Auckland previously could not resolve the tension between the old regional council wanting a tight metropolitan urban limit and the district and city councils wanting more growth outwards. This confusion resulted in too little provision for growth and the current housing challenges. The strength of a single Auckland Council is that this issue will be resolved."

The council was formed six years ago from a clutch of local bodies that controlled greater Auckland, with the Unitary Plan key to the city's future plans for growth as it grapples with a rapidly growing population and increasingly unaffordable housing. It must ratify a final version of the plan by Aug. 19, with a series of decision-making meetings in coming days, which will be open to the public.

Smith refused to be drawn into judgements about the panel's recommendations, beyond saying it had done "a good job addressing the complex issues and balancing the competing interests", for fear of provoking a judicial review if the government were seen to pressure the council on an outcome at this stage of the process.

Others were not so constrained, with Auckland's peak business body, the Employers and Manufacturers Association calling the recommendations a "mixed bag".

"While the plan outlines residential growth across the city, looking at intensification around transport corridors and town centres in particular to match employment opportunities, there are still unanswered questions around how this matches up with commercial growth," said EMA chief executive Kim Campbell. "Primarily, new commercial land is zoned for general business use and most of this in the north and central areas.

"Yet the highest areas of residential intensification are outlined for west and south Auckland, and there appears to be a disconnect between population growth and commercial development," said Campbell.

More intensive residential development close to public transport and motorways would work only if the increased population did not make current Auckland traffic congestion worse.

Smith said the recently announced $1 billion fund for urban infrastructure would assist in meeting that demand.

The Green Building Council welcomed the commitment to denser urban living, but expressed disappointment that the panel had recommended against the use of the Homestar standards for home insulation.

"Homestar is a rigorous, science-based and market-tested rating tool. Since it's been in the proposed Auckland unitary plan, it's pushed developers to think about the long-term impacts of their practices, to find ways of building more efficiently and minimising the ongoing footprint of their homes - which is also a great selling point for buyers," said the council's chief executive, Alex Cutler.

Likewise, the Property Institute welcomed the broad thrust of the recommendations, but said they were "completely overshadowed by a number of bizarre and divisive recommendations which 'must be resisted at all costs," said council chief Ashley Church.

Recommendations to remove protections for pre-1944 'heritage' villas and against a requirement for cultural impact assessments on some 3,500 sites of potential cultural significance to Maori amounted to "'unnecessary acts of cultural vandalism".

The Green Party called on the Auckland Council to unite behind the plans, supporting more intensive urban development in pursuit of affordable housing for families currently unable to get onto the housing ladder in Auckland.

"The Green Party is broadly supportive of the independent panel's recommendations, but we have some concerns about things we'll need to take a closer look at, such as protection for significant Māori sites", co-leader Metiria Turei said.

Labour leader Andrew Little said the government "must explain why the panel considering Auckland's unitary plan removed affordability requirements".

"Labour welcomes the Independent Hearing Panel's recommendations to substantially free up restrictive controls that are stopping Auckland growing up and out. The pressure is now on Auckland Council to do the right thing, and back the recommendations," said Little.

"However, it recommended removing the requirement for developments over 15 dwellings to contain 10 per cent affordable houses. It beggars belief the government asked the panel to scrap affordability requirements when Auckland is desperately short of affordable housing.

"Labour believes the panel has done the bare minimum to help Auckland deliver just the number of houses it needs. But by retaining the urban growth boundary and adding more land, it simply risks feeding Auckland's speculative frenzy."

(BusinessDesk)

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