Auckland Council has agreed to support Category 2P property mitigations for homeowners affected by the severe weather events earlier this year.
Category 2P properties are those where there are options to reduce an intolerable risk to life from flooding or landslide, through changes to the property such as raising the house or building a retaining wall. We call these changes “mitigations.”
The Category 2P Property Risk Mitigation Scheme will provide funding via two grants to support homeowners to scope and complete building work to reduce the risk at their property to a tolerable level:
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a design and consent grant to help homeowners get the technical advice and consents they need to confirm the project’s feasibility; and
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a construction grant supporting the homeowner to complete the consented works.
To be feasible, the mitigation work must cost no more than 25% of the property’s CV in total (both grants) and the works must be completed within two years.
The homeowner is responsible for managing the work, including finding professional services and tradespeople to complete the work. The normal building consent and resource consent requirement still apply for work to reduce risk at Category 2P properties.
Group Recovery Manager Mat Tucker says funding feasible mitigations to a property has multiple benefits.
“Firstly and most importantly the grants enable more whānau to stay in their homes and communities. They also reduce the environmental impact of demolishing or deconstructing buildings, and they’re more cost-effective for ratepayers than voluntary Category 3 buyouts.”
Tucker added that he expects about 100 to 120 properties will be in the 2P category. The cost of the grants scheme is shared with the Crown through the co-funded Storm Recovery package.
More information on the categorisation process can be found on the Our Auckland recovery page which will be updated regularly. A Category 2P Homeowners Guide is available on the Auckland Council website, and will be provided to affected property owners when their property is confirmed as 2P.
