Council to continue as Special Housing Area Authority

29 January 2017

At the meeting on Thursday 23 March, Council confirmed its intention to continue to be an Accord Authority until 16 September 2021, enabling a continued focus on increasing housing density and housing supply in Nelson City.

Subsequently, on 28 March it approved a further four SHA applications to be recommended to the Minister of Building and Housing.

Council originally entered into a Housing Accord and Special Housing Areas Act 2013 (HASHAA) agreement with the Minister of Building and Housing in late 2015. The Housing Accord offers an opportunity to develop residential accommodation through a streamlined resource consent process.

The extended accord will be amended to allow for a preference for the consideration of Special Housing Areas (SHAs) that are already zoned for urban development, or are located within the Saxton area, where Council has already approved recommendation of SHAs.

It will also reflect a preference for the consideration of SHAs in areas where all infrastructure services either exist, or will exist in the short or medium term, and are provided for in the Long Term Plan.

Under HASHAA, Council can recommend an SHA to the Minister of Building and Housing who recommends it to Cabinet for approval via an Order in Council.

Prior to 28 March, Council has recommended 13 SHAs which have been passed by Cabinet. Consent applications have been received for 11 of these, amounting to 469 residential units. This new housing supply is expected to come on stream in the next 1-2 years.

At the reconvened meeting on Tuesday 28 March, Council considered a further five Proposed Special Housing Areas. New applications are assessed against the Nelson Resource Management Plan rules and the Resource Management Act. The objectives of the Housing Accord are also taken into account.

The properties considered and approved were:

• 416 Trafalgar Street – minimum 5 dwellings

• 153 Nayland Road – minimum 8 dwellings

• 53 Halifax St – minimum 6 dwellings

• 42 St Lawrence St minimum 8 dwellings

These approvals were subject to developers entering into a deed with Council (covering consent and infrastructure requirements) and approval by the Urban Design Panel.

The application for 12 Wakapuaka Road (minimum 70 dwellings) was deferred subject to a public feedback process, due to the current status of the property as rural zoned land.

Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese said that by committing to the Housing Accord long term, Council has confirmed its focus on increasing the supply of housing choice within Nelson.

“Council wants to support the development of land close to the city centre, suitable for our demographic, which includes a variety of different living situations from families to older people, to working couples and those living alone. The Housing Accord supports our coordinated plan to ensure Nelson is an affordable place to live.

“There’s a significant time lag between properties being flagged for development and them coming on the market as residential homes. The Housing Accord assists us by reducing that time lag. We need to continue to work on land development now to ensure we can meet future housing demand.”

Ends.

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