3 August 2016

Green Party launches proposal for re-imagining our Cities

The Green Party has today released a consultation paper on how to get the Unitary Plan working for Auckland.

“The Green Party is going to introduce great standards for warm, safe, dry homes and for building great neighbourhoods that people love living in, and we are welcoming people’s input,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today.

The Green Party consultation paper brings together two national tools for consideration that will complement the Unitary Plan:

• Making sure all new homes are warm, safe, quiet, and dry by overhauling New Zealand’s Building Code so that it actually reflects the type of new homes that New Zealanders want to live in.

• Helping new developments look good and work well at the street level by putting in place a National Policy Statement on Urban Design.

“The Green Party is ambitious for great homes and neighbourhoods for all New Zealanders. We have a vision to move us towards the sorts of towns and cities that people are excited to live in,” said Mrs Turei.

“The Independent Hearings Panel for the Unitary Plan specifically rejected any sustainable building standards because they said the Building Code was the best place to deal with that. That’s why we need this update of the Building Code.

“We support the vision for more growth set out in the Auckland Unitary Plan. We also know that some people are nervous about increasing density because they haven’t seen it done well yet. Urban design guidelines will help make sure new developments work for the local community, and we want to hear what people think of this idea.

“We have a housing crisis in New Zealand, especially in Auckland with average prices reaching over $990,000. The National Government is continuing to refuse to do what is needed to address this housing crisis, that is build thousands more affordable homes, crack down on property speculation and overseas buyers, and introduce a capital gains tax on all properties except the family home.

“To get affordable housing, we don’t need to sacrifice quality. In fact, we cannot afford, or justify, the building of homes that leak, make people sick, give them high power bills or make them unsafe.

“This consultation paper puts forward ideas that will help make the Unitary Plan work better for Aucklanders but will also help grow great cities around the rest of the country too.

“We think, with the right rules in place, our towns and cities can be amazing. We want to know what New Zealanders think too.”

Download the Green Party consultation paper and provide feedback at: http://action.greens.org.nz/reimagine-our-cities

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