15 February 2016

Local politicians politicising of Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan appalling

Property Council is appalled with Auckland councillors who have withdrawn their support to rezone Auckland suburbs with the capacity for more housing and apartments.

Auckland Branch President Phil Eaton says soaring house prices are creating systemic social injustice, inequity and major economic risk.

“Let’s be absolutely clear about this. The councillors who have withdrawn their support to rezone and upzone suburbs to allow for more houses have done so at the expense of Aucklanders, because they want to come back after the local elections.

“Now, Baby Boomers have essentially locked an entire generation out of their own homes. Young people and families will never be able to work and live in Auckland, and ‘Generation Rent’ is the legacy these councillors will leave behind.

The Auckland Plan sets out a 400,000 target over the next 30 years. Currently, there is a shortage of between 20,000-30,000 houses, and 13,000 news dwellings every year over this period. The current version of the PAUP only allows for about 95,000 of the required 400,000.

“We have always supported the Auckland Plan, which brought the vision. But a lack of leadership is rendering this Plan redundant as from the beginning, we raised concerns that the PAUP did not supports its targets and now councillors are not either.

“Recent detailed analysis by independent experts demonstrated the PAUP falling short of providing adequate supply of new dwellings and likely to only yield less than 30%. This is a stark shortfall that will leave us with continued house price escalation.

“We desperately need to open up supply. The market tells us we are not building what customers want. We need a wider range of housing choices to suit the changing demographic profile of Auckland over the next 15-20 years, including smaller homes in existing areas for both older and younger people.

“Local politicians must ditch their “Not in My Election Year” mentality and do what is right by all Aucklanders, not just some.”

Scaremongering by local politicians has residents believing their suburbs will be covered in high-rise apartments, when realistically less than 6% of suburbs will have apartments with more than three storeys: up just 1% from the previous version of the PAUP.

“We need to fit a city the size of Wellington into Auckland over the next 15 years. While the recent process of up-zoning within the PAUP is flawed, its intent is right. But we need bolder and braver decisions to solve what is now an intergenerational legacy issue.”

END.

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