27 July 2016

Auckland must unite behind Unitary Plan

Auckland and Auckland Councillors must unite to support the Unitary Plan, because the alternative is more squabbling while families continue to be locked out of home ownership, the Green Party said today.

“The average Auckland house price is nearly a million dollars and completely unaffordable for most people. The Unitary Plan is an important step towards fixing that,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.

“We’re pleased that the independent panel has recognised that if you want an affordable, liveable city you’ve got to build more homes near where people work and play, in suburbs that already exist.

“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.

“The Unitary Plan isn’t a silver bullet. Auckland’s success will hinge on the Government stepping up and doing its bit by modernising building standards, investing in public transport, stopping property speculators, and building more houses.

“The challenge now is to show how great modern urban living can be.

“It’s really important that new suburban developments have good public transport and are built as communities, not just rows of houses and roads,” said Mrs Turei.

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