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Lukewarm response to housing NPS

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Fri, 3 Jun 2016, 6:26AM

Lukewarm response to housing NPS

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Fri, 3 Jun 2016, 6:26AM

VIDEO: Auckland mayoral candidates respond to NPS (Michael Sergel) 

Business groups and councils can't find anything new in the Government's latest strategy for dealing with the housing crisis.

The Government has unveiled plans to force councils to zone more land for development whenever the local average house price surpasses an affordability threshold.

The Employers and Manufacturers Association says the plans won't address underlying infrastructure issues or remove restrictive red tape.

The Soap Box: Nats never promised housing silver bullet

Auckland issues reporter Michael Sergel said Auckland Council is receiving legal advice, but doesn't seem to be alarmed by what the Government's proposing.

"At the moment they're saying it's pretty much consistent with Auckland Council's current plans, through its future urban land use strategy, and also the proposed Auckland Unitary Plan that councillors will vote on."

Central elements of the statement require councils to provide enough land for new housing to match population growth, as well as take into account housing affordability.

MORE: Few Auckland houses qualify as affordable

The New Zealand First leader Winston Peters argues that's what councils do now, in a scathing assessment of Minister Nick Smith's announcement.

"That's the logic of all forward planning, it's based on the census. Did Mr Smith not know that?"

However, the government's National Policy Statement is being welcomed by a town already battling to cope with housing demands.

Queenstown's population's projected to grow by 14% over the next 10 years.

Council chief executive Mike Theelen said the policy statement will help councils assess land supplies, analyse demand and ensure the market's open and available for development.

"It's simply trying to put in place a bit of rigour around processes which councils should already be doing."

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