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Youth organisation disappointed with fast tracked housing
Youth organisation disappointed with more fast tracked greenfield housing
Youth organisation, Generation
Zero, is disappointed with the latest announcement of
greenfield Special Housing Areas, which promote further
urban sprawl at a time when Auckland is desperately short of
more central housing choices.
Spokesperson for Generation Zero, Dr Sudhvir Singh; “Aucklanders do not want higher rates and worse traffic, but unfortunately by choosing to prioritise more housing on the very outskirts of the region, that is what these Special Housing Areas will deliver. Council and government should have instead prioritised well designed developments in inner suburbs close to jobs and public transport, which is where the demand is greatest.”
Council and government have agreed to fast track 1800 houses south of Auckland, including 800 at Glenbrook, which is over 60 kilometres from the centre of Auckland.
Dr Singh; “Last week Council had a protracted meeting trying to balance the long term budget. Further disconnected housing developments on the very edge of the city force ratepayers to cough up more for new infrastructure at a time when money is tight. It’s disappointing that the same decision makers who are against investing in transport infrastructure continue to rubber stump more urban sprawl.”
New residents will be forced to join the existing traffic queues, making congestion in Auckland even worse. Dr Singh; “More housing in Auckland’s south makes the City Rail Link even more urgent as trains on the Southern Line are already at maximum frequency while we have a bottleneck at Britomart.”
Dr Singh; “Young people are calling for density done well, enabling more housing choices in areas where we work and study. Instead of focussing on urban sprawl, the Government and Council should focus on quality medium-density developments close to public transport which would help Auckland overcome the major challenges of housing affordability, traffic congestion and climate change” says Dr Singh.
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