This week, the Auckland Development Committee endorsed Auckland Council’s submission to the Productivity Commission’s Better Urban Planning inquiry.
The main purpose of the inquiry is to review New Zealand’s urban planning system and identify the most appropriate system for allocating land use.
Commission Chair, Murray Sherwin says, “This inquiry is an opportunity to take a new approach to the planning process. Our goal is not to review existing laws, but to look beyond the current model to ask how a new model can be best designed to respond to future urban challenges.”
Land supply and land use is one of the factors that can influence the housing market. This is a particularly important issue in Auckland where the population is growing rapidly and demand for housing is outstripping supply.
Auckland Council worked with Auckland Transport and Watercare on the submission (Watercare also made its own submission) which focused on ensuring that Auckland responds well to the demands of growth and meets the needs of current and future residents. The submission also focuses on how the region pays for, phases and delivers infrastructure.
Lastly the submission highlights the need to involve the public early on, and provide quality information and keep them well informed.
Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, who chairs the Auckland Development Committee, says “We welcome the inquiry, the timing is right to start a conversation about the future of urban planning. Planning shapes our cities and our lives and our communities have told us how important it is for them to be involved early on in the process.”
The inquiry builds on the commission’s previous Using Land for Housing Inquiry in 2015. The commission will release its draft report in July which will be open for public submissions and its final report will be tabled in Cabinet by 30 November 2016. View the council’s submission here.
