Deadline changes on SHAs

Tauranga City councillors today authorised Mayor Stuart Crosby to sign amendments extending the deadline on Tauranga's special housing accord.

The accord signed with the Government expires Friday, September 16. The decision extends the council's ability to process qualifying developments until June 30, 2017.


The Girven Road special housing area in Mount Maunganui. Photo: Chris Callinan

The Housing Accord is an agreement with the Government to work together to address housing supply issues, notably by identifying and fast-tracking development in Special Housing Areas.

Over the past three years, Tauranga City Council has recommended, and had approved, the establishment of twelve Special Housing Areas. Eight of these have progressed through to resource consenting stage, with 662 new sections already consented as at June 30, 2016.

Strategic planner Andrew Meade told today's meeting he estimates more than 1000 Tauranga sections have been approved through the housing accord.

The Government decided last week to extend the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act 2013, giving councils three more years to establish Special Housing Areas in growth areas.

Today's meeting authorizes Mayor Stuart Crosby to sign an amendment with Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith which will extend the legality of the current accord until the new accord has been negotiated with the incoming council.

Meanwhile Tauranga City Council will be able to continue assessing the qualifying developments currently lodged with council, or any future qualifying development, and to grant or refuse applications for resource consents.

As well as extending the Housing Accords by three years, the new bill will set time limits for lodging resource consents and plan variation applications at 12 months, and provide stronger ministerial discretion to revoke Special Housing Area status to ensure progress is maintained in Special Housing Areas – i.e. to prevent land banking.

Also proposed in the new Housing Legislation Amendment Bill is the introduction of a Housing Infrastructure Fund. While not specifically targeted at SHAs, the HIF can assist financially constrained councils to advance infrastructure projects that would otherwise hold back housing developments.

It would remove infrastructure constraints that may have prevented the approval of some SHAs; and allow councils to transfer funds set aside for infrastructure projects in one area to alleviate infrastructure issues in another.

Approved special housing areas in Tauranga include Girven Road, Mount Maunganui, Smiths Farm Bethlehem, Adler Drive Ohauiti, Domain Road, and Papamoa East. Smith's Farm's resource consent is due to be lodged.

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2 comments

Hmmmm

Posted on 15-09-2016 13:40 | By How about this view!

Why the focus on "Permanent" housing in one of the costliest districts in the country? Maybe we should be "doing our bit" by establishing a few temporary housing sites with portable housing, that is available on a short term basis until more permanent accommodations become available in other parts of the country. Public housing is starting to become about "Where would you LIKE to live" rather than "There is housing available in......" Sure, council has a role in providing affordable housing, but in some parts of the country it should be directed at those that CAN and WILL be "working" in that area, and not for those that see it as "A nice place to live". We need to start looking at taking responsibility for our families welfare, particularly when a roof over their heads is more about what the parents WANT than what the kids NEED.


@ How about this view!

Posted on 15-09-2016 16:25 | By Crash test dummies

Much to sensible and practical to even consider getting on any agenda. Besides money grabs available out of temporary housing, can have that either now can we.


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