Auckland’s Unitary Plan continues to spur building activity across the region with a record 10,637 dwellings completed (Code of Compliance Certificates issued) in the 12 months to December 2018.

Mayor Phil Goff says the latest housing figures are very positive.

“The figures show that last year we completed the highest ever level of home construction as measured by CCCs, issued record levels of building consents and established a new record for the proportion of new dwellings within existing urban areas.

“It shows the Unitary Plan is delivering on its goal of creating a more compact city and enabling higher levels of home building.

“By addressing these issues, we can start to make real progress on reducing housing shortages and increasing housing affordability,” Phil Goff says.

Chair of Council’s Regulatory Committee, Councillor Linda Cooper, says the trending increase in new dwelling numbers is supported by gradually reduced CCC timeframes: “Of the 869 Code of Compliance Certificates issues in December 2018, 94 per cent were issued to dwelling units that had building consents granted within the past two years.”

Of the 938 new dwellings that were consented in December 2018, 45 percent were houses, 27 per cent were apartments and 28 per cent were townhouses, flats, units, retirement units or other types of attached dwellings.

“We’re also seeing a subtle change in the size of newly created residential land parcels, with decreases in the number of parcels sized 1000 m2 to 1999 m2, matched by increases in those sized less than 1000 m2,” Cr Cooper says. “This shows the affect the Unitary Plan is having in delivering a more compact urban form, with a range of housing types.”

Chair of Council’s Planning Committee, Councillor Chris Darby notes the consistent demand for housing that is close to employment, transport and amenity.

“The Unitary Plan recognises that housing and transport need to be planned in unison. Aucklanders are demonstrating they want to live close to fast and frequent public transport options, to avoid the cost of the eternal motoring mortgage. More than a third – 38.4 per cent, of new dwellings consented are within 1500m of a rapid transport station. That’s an increase of more than 8 per cent from the year before.”

The Unitary Plan enables us to build communities, rather than homes in isolation – people want to be in areas where they are well connected by public transport to jobs, education, friends and amenity. Around 92 per cent of new dwellings are located within the existing Rural Urban Boundary. This enables the utilisation of existing infrastructure, and ensures that development across the city is both cohesive and planned.”

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