Bishop’s bold housing moves: What it means for Ashburton

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

Councils were caught by surprise when the Government announced sweeping changes to housing development rules.

It remains to be seen if it will impact Ashburton as officials read through the details of the policy.

Housing Minister Chris Bishop on Thursday unveiled six major changes in a bid to boost housing growth by freeing up land and removing planning red tape.

It’s understood the changes are specifically for tier 1 and 2 councils, the major metropolitan centres, with the changes targeted at opening up land for development at the edge of the cities and housing density, Bishop said.

Ashburton District Council compliance and development group manager Jane Donaldson said that on first look, it appears the majority of the changes don't affect the Ashburton District, which is not classed as a tier 1 or 2 council.

“It will take us more time to look through the detail.

“We look forward to understanding more about how the Government’s growth initiative will be resourced and the impact it may have in Ashburton District.”

The announcement blindsided councils.

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) said they met with the Bishop just last month to discuss how local and central government could work together to get more housing built.

LGNZ president Sam Broughton said local government wasn’t consulted on the changes announced on Thursday and is concerned about councils losing control of their planning.

“We are concerned at the increasing central direction on planning that we’ve seen through successive governments, especially given this Government’s commitment to localism.

“If we are serious about solving the housing crisis, we must change how growth is paid for.

“New housing requires roads, footpaths, green space, and services, which are currently really expensive for councils and ratepayers.”
Councils need to embrace growth by improving funding and financing mechanisms, Bishop said.

Infrastructure should generate enough revenue from service charges to cover its lifetime costs, ensuring growth benefits councils without burdening existing communities, he said.

“Existing communities should not have to subsidise the costs of growth.”

Bishop has argued the changes are needed to encourage building, increase housing supply, and improve affordability.