Hutt City Council has expressed concerns about the Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters Bill in a submission to Parliament’s Environment Committee, saying it undermines progress made and planning done in Lower Hutt.

"Hutt City Council welcomes cross-party support for accelerating housing supply in our largest cities, and we agree that more houses are urgently needed across the country. That’s why we’ve already taken bold and ambitious steps to intensify housing across Lower Hutt, creating thriving communities near schools, shops, parks, and public transport," says Mayor Campbell Barry.

"We’ve doubled our investment in our three-water infrastructure in our most recent Long Term Plan; we’ve doubled the number of new dwellings consented in the last year, and that number continues to grow. Our targeted approach is working, but this Bill proposes a blunt instrument that undermines our progress and risks our city choking on its own growth.

"We are disappointed that there has been no genuine engagement with local government and iwi prior to the Bill’s introduction."

The Bill allows up to three homes of up to three storeys to be built on most general residential sites without the need for a resource consent. Councillor Deborah Hislop, Chair of the Infrastructure and Regulatory Committee says this will have negative impacts on our environment.

"By building three-storey housing away from public transport and other amenities, the Bill will mean more cars on the road. Not only will that make it harder for all of us to get around and put strain on existing infrastructure, it also completely contradicts our efforts to reduce emissions," says Councillor Deborah Hislop.

Council proposes that tier one councils that have demonstrated real progress in increasing housing supply - which includes Hutt City Council - should not be impacted by this Bill, rather that it should be used in situations where real progress is not being made.

A copy of Hutt City Council’s submission can be found here.

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