Apartments Boost Dwelling Numbers

Apartments Boost Dwelling Numbers

Consents for new apartment units accounted for more than one-quarter of all new dwelling units in March 2005, Statistics New Zealand said today. Consents for 882 new apartment units were issued in March 2005, comprising 29 percent of all new dwelling units. March consents for new apartments were higher than in January and February but similar to the levels seen in the last quarter of 2004.

Consents for 3,027 new dwelling units were issued in March 2005, the fifth-highest monthly total on record. On 31 March 2005, higher consent application fees were introduced as a result of an increase in the Department of Building and Housing levy, along with new building requirements through the new Building Act 2004. These changes are applicable to consents issued on or after 31 March 2005 and may have contributed to the higher number of consents issued prior to these changes.

The total value of consents issued for non-residential buildings was $414 million in March 2005, up 25 percent on March 2004. The largest contributor to this value was shops, restaurants and taverns, with $77 million. The total value of consents issued for all buildings in March 2005 was $1,159 million, up 15 percent on March 2004. Residential buildings contributed 64 percent to the total value of all buildings, compared with 67 percent in March 2004.

Brian Pink
Government Statistician
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