Headline: Super City or Slum City?
Today’s Super City could be New Zealand’s first Slum City under Housing Minister Nick Smith’s plan to override Auckland council with his special housing areas, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford.
“Some parts of Auckland are already fearful about changes to planning rules under the draft Unitary Plan but under National’s special housing areas the Minister is giving himself the right to ram through housing developments with scant regard for the Resource Management Act.
“The Minister himself is on record saying that Aucklanders have to get used to the idea of lower quality developments. One leading commentator, Gary Taylor of the Environmental Defence Society, says the Government’s proposed changes will lead to slums.
“The irony is that Mr Smith’s right-leaning political colleagues on the Auckland Council are desperately trying to slow down the Unitary Plan while Mr Smith is speeding up new developments regardless of quality.
“Len Brown’s Unitary Plan seeks a quality compact city. Nick Smith’s mad-cap special housing areas will throw quality out of the window and give the Minister the power to rule by dictate from the Beehive.
“This is too much power to put into the hands of a Minister from Nelson who has demonstrated clearly that he doesn’t understand the Auckland situation.
“Nick Smith has a bull at a gate attitude that should make Aucklanders think twice about giving him the power to personally direct the development of new housing areas.
“Within a week of negotiating the Auckland Housing Accord with the City Council – where the Government ruled out interfering in the council’s consenting and planning processes – Mr Smith jetted down to Parliament and introduced legislation that does just that.
“The big risk for Auckland is that the Minister’s attitude could lead to some very poor housing developments – the opposite of what Aucklanders are asking for,” Phil Twyford.
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