17 June 2014

Minister’s Submission on PAUP Damning

The Environment Minister’s submission with the Auckland Council on its Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) is a damning indictment of the Council’s failure to address the housing crisis.

Amy Adams submission on the PAUP states that it is too complex, expensive and constraining.

According to the Minister, PAUP’s development controls and zoning do not allow for enough housing developments to meet Auckland’s projected population growth and its housing shortage.

Property Council fully supports the Minister’s submission as it has continuously raised the concern that PAUP’s restrictions mean the Council will not be able to achieve density targets set out in its Auckland Plan.

Effectively, the PAUP and the Council’s earlier Auckland Plan are in contradiction which has created a major problem.

Property Council Chief Executive Connal Townsend has praised the Minister’s common-sense approach as housing density is crucial to ensuring a prosperous future for New Zealand’s most important city.

“Of course the Minister has found the PAUP too inflexible and complex. We have been saying that all along and it is great to see the Government engaged in its crucial debate.”

Earlier in the year, a survey by Demographia International Housing Affordability put New Zealand’s house prices higher than London and Los Angeles.

This clearly demonstrates the PAUP’s need to achieve balance in its restrictions and protections (in respect to heritage buildings) and flexibility to build, if Auckland wants to avoid its housing problem spiralling out of control.

PAUP, as it stands, requires developers to provide affordable housing, leading to more risky and costly projects, stalling developments altogether.

The Plan also fails to clarify whether Auckland Council has up-zoned sufficiently to enable dense development as the Plan envisages.

There is also the concern that the PAUP does not provide sufficient land for business developments which will have a direct impact on communities.

The Minister’s criticisms are a timely reminder for the PAUP to be sufficiently amended to allow for a dense, desirable and economically viable Auckland.

About Property Council New Zealand
Property Council is New Zealand’s commercial property voice. Property Council represents New Zealand's office, industrial, retail, property funds and multi-unit residential property owners, investors and managers. Property Council’s branches throughout the country represent some of the largest commercial property portfolios in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, East Coast/Hawkes Bay and the South Island and Otago region, the value of which exceeds billions.

ENDS

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