Council moves forward with Housing Accord
Media release: 26 February 2015
Nelson City Council today agreed to commence negotiations to enter into a Housing Accord with the Minister of Building
and Housing Hon Dr Nick Smith.
The Nelson Tasman region was identified by Government in January as a priority area in Schedule 1 of the Housing Accord
and Special Housing Areas Act 2013 (HASHA), which aims to improve housing affordability by helping to increase land and
housing supply in specific regions.
Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese says: “Encouraging more affordable housing choice is a priority for this Council. We want to
explore the opportunity that a Housing Accord can provide and I look forward to advancing discussions with the Minister,
the wider community, developers and others on an integrated planning approach for the city that identifies special
housing areas.
“This decision marks the start of the process and collaboration will be key to our success in addressing this very real
issue. We want to provide affordable choice for first home buyers, young families, and older people looking to downsize.
This is an opportunity to help boost economic growth for the region by increasing the supply of affordable housing.”
Once special housing areas have been identified, Council can access powers under the Act to accelerate the resource
consent process and plan change decisions for qualifying developments in these areas.
“I recognise the value in taking a collaborative approach to addressing housing affordability and look forward to
developing the Accord.”
A Housing Accord is a fixed-term agreement that sets out how a territorial authority and the government will work
together to improve housing supply. It also sets targets for development in the short to medium-term.
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