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Developers salivating over Housing announcements

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Fri, 22 May 2015, 5:49AM
(File photo: Edward Swift)
(File photo: Edward Swift)

Developers salivating over Housing announcements

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Fri, 22 May 2015, 5:49AM

Freeing up around 500 hundred hectares of state owned land in Auckland for housing has seen a clamour of developers wanting to be involved.

Housing Minister Nick Smith says he's encouraged by the level of interest.

"In the presentation that we will be making to potential partners, we've had double the interest and we've had to change the venue."

They haven't said where the areas are yet but Nick Smith says parks as we know them won't be involved.

"There are some reserves that nobody in their community would logically think of as a park, and I'd be happy to take you to some of those, that we will be proposing to develop as housing."

But Labour MP Phil Twyford's labelling it a panicked half measure.

He doesn't think the measures will make the slightest difference to rocketing house prices.

In contrast, the Salvation Army are applauding the Government's decision.

They like the potential for social service NGOs to join development and building consortiums in providing more houses.

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