Housing shortcut extended

A new Queenstown-Lakes housing accord will this time cover the whole district. Photo: ODT
A new Queenstown-Lakes housing accord will this time cover the whole district. Photo: ODT
Queenstown Lakes District is facing an ambitious new housing challenge - 3900 sections or homes to be consented within three years.

To hit the target, developers will again be allowed to shortcut the planning process by creating special housing areas.

Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith met Lakes District Mayor Jim Boult and council officials in the resort yesterday.

Nick Smith
Nick Smith

They agreed to a new Queenstown-Lakes housing accord that will this time cover the whole district.

It is provisional though; a recommendation will go to the full council.

The original three-year accord was signed in October 2014.

To date, 1634 building or land consents have been issued by the council, which means it is well on the way to exceeding its 1750 target.

Dr Smith said: ''Simultaneously though, the growth in the Queenstown community has been so strong that, if anything, the housing pressures have got even more challenging.

''My meeting today with the mayor and council staff has been about further extending the accord for the next three years.''

The provisional targets are 1100 to 1200 the first year, 1200 to 1300 the second, and 1300 to 1400 the third.

''To be able to achieve that, a key thing will be picking up with the special housing areas concept.''

SHAs fast-track the planning process by limiting submissions to immediate neighbours and limiting the rights of appeal.

Bridesdale Farm was Queenstown's first SHA.

Resource consent was granted in March last year for the 134 sections.

The subdivision work is complete and purchasers will settle on their sections by Monday with building to begin thereafter.

Dr Smith said he could see the progress from his aeroplane yesterday morning.

''Already, the council has made great progress in using that mechanism to grow supply, albeit there is always a pipeline from the time when the land is freed up with special housing area to the resource consent being granted, the infrastructure being built and then moving on to building consents.''

The Government and council have so far approved 10 SHAs for Queenstown, including the council's own on Gorge Rd.

Bridesdale consents were among those granted within the first accord, along with the huge retirement village Queenstown Country Club.

An accord report makes clear, however, that normal subdivisions, such as Hanley's Farm - hundreds of sections at the base of the Remarkables - have helped.

But buying property in the resort is still an expensive business. Starter homes are upwards of $700,000 and sections can be $220,000 and up for about 340sq m.

Dr Smith said the only answer was to increase supply.

''The experience in Christchurch ... has shown that aggressively freeing up land and supporting the house construction industry is the only real long-term way in which you are going to get on top of supply and affordability issues.

Mayor Boult said affordability and supply were the single ''biggest handbrake'' on the district, but he was pleased with the progress now being made.

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