3 storeys and the ruin of our Special Character areas.
Spokesperson McRae
The Government’s announcement to allow for increased housing density in Auckland (19 Oct) will have a major impact on the future look of Auckland and especially Devonport if it’s allowed to happen.
The Government has directed councils to enable three houses of three storeys high to be built as of right on most sites in the city. That means developers won’t have to get resource consent and follow planning rules that are presently the norm.
It is a green light for developers to build cheap, badly designed buildings that meet the bare minimum of urban design and amenity provisions. This will result in dwellings that are miserable to live in and miserable to look at.
If Auckland Council agrees to carry out the government’s policy it will mean new houses can be built up to 11 to 12 metres high only one metre from the side and rear boundaries. It also means extensions of this height can be made to existing houses.
However councils can decide to make exemptions for heritage value but this may mean only individual listed heritage buildings and not whole heritage areas.
Devonport Heritage will be urging local board members and councillors to interpret ‘heritage value’ as applying to Special Character areas like Devonport, Ponsonby, Grey Lynn etc.
We believe if three storey developments are allowed everywhere it will mean the eventual destruction of our historic areas. Old villas, small cottages and bungalows will be squeezed besides 11 metre concrete block housing developments and the continuity of these historic areas will be lost.
Special Character areas are about quantity and homogeneity, they’re about the repetitive streetscapes of old wooden houses that wind up and around hills and down valleys.
To have them interrupted by out of scale, concrete and steel structures will be the death knell of the historic fabric of this city.
The onus is now on Auckland Council to stand up for the future look of Auckland. It should tell the government that the city deserves quality dwellings that will enhance Auckland. It should defend the Special Character areas from the three storey/three home proposal to ensure our historic areas are protected for future generations to enjoy.
It needs to remind the government that Auckland already has 30 years of housing growth built into its planning system (the Unitary Plan) that will provide for 900,000 more dwellings in the city.
And urge the government to address the real cause of the housing crisis - building material costs and supply problems and lack of supporting infrastructure.
What You Can Do
Email the Auckland mayor, councillors and local board members asking them to fight back against the Government’s latest threat to the future look of Auckland.
To defend the city and Special Character Areas against low quality density housing that will turn Auckland into an unliveable and ugly city.
Read More from Auckland Council
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says the council backs the government’s objective of building more homes more quickly and the need for intensive development as the city grows.
“We are very aware of the longstanding crises of housing shortages and unaffordability which need to be addressed. However, we also want the housing we build and the neighbourhoods we create to be attractive and good places to live.
Aucklanders also wish to retain the best of Auckland’s character and heritage. This needs to be balanced with the need for more housing,” the mayor says.
Zoning rules not the main constraint on housing says Mayor Goff