How many houses will Auckland need for its future population growth?

Amongst the documents Auckland Council released supporting its Plan Change 78 which has enabled 3-dwelling 3-story development on almost every site across Auckland, is the Section 32 Evaluation Report. Character Coalition’s spokesperson Sally Hughes points to it as a useful tool to ground debate on the merits and location of intensification.

“There’s clearly some unhappiness in Wellington about how Councils have implemented, or in Christchurch City Council’s case, not implemented, the policy directives of the Government but Aucklanders can rely on well supported facts to inform their opinions,” Hughes says.

According to Council’s published economic assessment, fully implementing the mandated intensification plan change would provide for Auckland’s housing needs “far beyond the 30-35 year ‘long term’ horizon” of the directive legislation – approximately 3,289,000 dwellings, only counting development within current urban zones. Whereas the projected demand for dwellings through to 2051 is just a maximum of 915,000.

“The bi-partisan supported legislation could enable a significant overshoot of more than 2 million homes”, says Hughes, “that’s if Auckland Council elected to implement it without any Qualifying Matters, including Special Character, which it has done to try and direct development away from inappropriate areas. The reduced development capacity from all Qualifying Matters Council has proposed, is just 463,00 – that still leaves a million and a half more homes than needed in a high-demand future”.

“And it should be remembered that qualifying matters refer to much more than the special character of Auckland’s unique wooden suburbs”, says Hughes. “Provision for flood inundation, coastal erosion, maunga, water and wastewater infrastructure capacity are just some of the eleven qualifying criteria”.

So why does she think debate focuses on the future of special character homes, according to Council figures, just 2.3% of Auckland’s 486,000 residential properties?

“If something’s not working, point at something else and label it a problem”, Hughes sighs, “just because Wellington’s frustrated, Aucklanders shouldn’t be scapegoated”.

Public submissions on Auckland Council’s Plan Change 78 close this Thursday, September the 29th.

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