Auckland Council has voted to take the draft changes out for consultation. Photo: RNZ / Kate Newton
An Auckland architect says the council's draft plan for housing density around key transport routes and town centres will change suburbs for the better, if done right.
The plan provides an alternative means for the council to meet the government's goal of Auckland accommodating two million new homes over coming decades.
Auckland Council's Policy and Planning Committee met in the town hall on Thursday to discuss changes to the Auckland Unitary Plan that would replace Plan Change 78, while keeping its focus on housing.
The draft changes would allow for more apartments and terrace homes in walking distance of train and bus stations, more restrictive consenting requirements to increase resilience, and an increase in mixed housing suburban zones.
The changes were a response to the widespread flooding in the region in 2023.
Auckland Council has voted to take the draft changes out for consultation, with two councillors opposing.
The plan will now go out for consultation with local boards and mana whenua, with a final decision on whether or not to replace Plan Change 78 in late September.
The Urban Design Forum's Graeme Scott told Morning Report they had strong support for the draft changes.
"The idea of just spreading three-storey terrace houses over the whole of the isthmus and beyond is not working very well," he said.
"There have been some spectacularly poor ones built and we think a rethink is needed, and this is along the right lines."
Scott said there were ways of carrying out the plan that had great urban outcomes, attracting people who want to visit the areas, and not just those who lived there.
"We that, given the right process that council's embarking on, let's give it a go," he said.
"We have to try."
More people were needed in the living closer to town to drive the Auckland economy, Scott said.
"The population in the inner suburbs of Auckland is actually falling, because wealthy people can afford more space," he said.
"That's exactly the opposite to what we need, we need a lot more people close to the centre to get the economic activity and the productivity of the city up."
Housing Minister Chris Bishop Photo: VNP/Louis Collins
Multiple benefits
Housing Minister Chris Bishop says a complicated bit of legal gymnastics has gone into Auckland Council's draft plan to build more high rise apartments near town centres and public transport hubs.
It provides an alternative means for the council to meet the government's goal of Auckland accommodating the 2m new homes.
He told Morning Report he wanted to see good residential developments near transport hubs.
"The government and the council have reached an agreement on giving the council more flexibility, so getting rid of the medium density three-by-three rules, so allowing them to essentially not use them as much, but doubling down on the idea that we should be building around public transport hubs, train stations, and major bus routes," he said.
Bishop said they should be allowing for more development given the upcoming opening of City Rail Link next year.
"We're spending five billion bucks as a government on a major new transport connection for Auckland that's going to be transformational for Auckland and our simple point to the council [...] we should be allowing for apartments and major new commercial and residential developments by these major new train stations that we're investing in," he said.
"That's what every other international city does and now Auckland's going to do the same."
Bishop said it made sense for people to live near good public transport connections.
"You also get huge economic benefit out of that happening," he said.
"People living near and close to each other, being able to walk to work, being able to take the train to work, being able to be in office blocks that are close to those locations, the economic benefits of that are really clear, the evidence is overwhelming that is a big driver of economic growth which is what this country needs."
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