Public consultation has opened on proposed legislation to fast track the redevelopment and regeneration of urban areas to better meet housing and commercial needs
“New Zealand needs Urban Development Authority (UDA) legislation to enable faster and better quality regeneration in our major cities,” Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.
“These new authorities need the power to assemble parcels of land, develop site specific plans, reconfigure infrastructure and to construct a mix of public and private buildings to create vibrant hubs for modern urban living.”
These reforms are part of the solution to Auckland’s growth pressures over housing and infrastructure, he explains. “UDAs would enable major redevelopment projects like those proposed or under way in areas such as Hobsonville, Tamaki, Three Kings and Northcote to occur three to five years faster.
“The international experience in cities like London, Melbourne, Sydney, Toronto and Singapore is that UDAs can create vibrant, new suburbs, with greater gains for housing, jobs and amenities than through usual incremental, piecemeal redevelopment.
“The key to the success of UDAs is in how they interact with councils and businesses. We are proposing a model of UDAs which requires the support of both central and local government, and one that maximises the role of the private sector in development.”
This proposal for UDAs was recommended by the Productivity Commission, Smith adds. “It is part of the government’s wider range of reforms to grow housing supply and will complement initiatives such as the Housing Infrastructure Fund, reforms to the Resource Management Act, the National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity, the Crown Land Programme and the KiwiSaver HomeStart scheme.
“The growth of New Zealand cities has historically been dominated by new greenfield developments on the perimeter of our cities. This reform is about providing new tools to enable redevelopment of existing areas in cities like Auckland and Wellington in a way that provides more housing, better infrastructure and a stronger community.”
Consultation closes on 19 May 2017. The government’s discussion document and more information can be found at http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/housing-property/consultation/urban-development-authorities
