Auckland Council Report Supports Our View

Auckland Council Report Supports Our View

A new report to Auckland Council highlighting the potential lack of adequate business land supply, supports Property Council’s warnings that Auckland may fail to meet its targets.

The paper was presented to the Council’s Economic Development Committee. Its findings are based on the average demand of 93 hectares per year since 1996, noting that historically demand actually has peaked at 130 hectares per year and dropped down to 42 hectares per year in the last five years.

But as economic recovery gets well underway, demand is picking and will continue to do so.

According to the report, available business land supply is “at best” meeting the Council’s targets to meet five yearly demand.

Property Council has consistently stated that, unless the Council identifies and allocates land for business with speed, it risks seriously underproviding land for commercial development in Auckland.

This will have disastrous consequences by stifling the region’s economic growth and potentially resulting in Auckland’s inability to service and provide sufficient jobs for a growing population.

This situation could be worsened by residential building activity occurring on land where business activities should logically take place, dampening commercial growth.

The report similarly warns of detrimental consequences if demand picks up to meet or exceed expectations, or if identified land is unavailable or unsuitable for development. In particular, there is currently a lack of large sites for development which is of real concern.

Property Council reiterates the report’s emphasis on the strategic requirement to provide at least an additional 1,400 hectares of business land to meet estimated growth demands, as outlined in the Auckland Plan.

Property Council supports the report’s recommendations that business land be a key consideration and priority of the spatial work currently undertaken by Auckland Council and new areas of business land be prioritised in any future Land Release Programme.

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