Viewpoint – Housing rules consultation soon

A significant reversal of Warkworth’s housing rules is now on the table. In 2022, new planning laws, mandated by the previous Labour Government, altered the Auckland Unitary Plan to allow most single dwelling residential properties to be split into three lots, each with a three-storey dwelling. This housing intensification policy was called Plan Change 78. The Coalition Government is now moving to undo these rules through a proposed new Plan Change 120, reverting the zoning of affected land back to one house per property.

As well, new powers will allow Auckland Council to reject applications to build in flood-prone areas without the risk of being taken to court by landowners. Many would be surprised to learn Council was restricted from doing this previously, so the change is widely welcomed, including by Council itself.

Under Plan Change 78, “down-zoning” was not permitted. This meant properties at risk of natural hazards such as flooding could not be rezoned to stop inappropriate dwellings being built. As a result, houses were able to be built in flood plains, with Council unable to lawfully prevent it.

In 2022, I held a packed public meeting at the Warkworth Town Hall to brief residents on Plan Change 78. That legislation forced through widespread housing intensification across Auckland’s urban centres, including throughout Warkworth’s already establishing urban housing areas. Most Warkworth residents opposed the move. Homeowners voiced strong concerns about losing privacy, undermining the town’s character and overloading already ageing water and wastewater pipes.

The Government at the time argued that the changes would more than double Auckland’s future housing capacity – from 900,000 homes under the existing Unitary Plan to around two million homes under Plan Change 78. The hope was that a dramatic increase of new housing supply would eventually reduce housing costs.

The Coalition Government has announced a shift in approach. While the target of two million homes remains, the government is suggesting that Council could remove the “three homes of three storeys” rule in areas like Warkworth, as long as any lost housing capacity is made up elsewhere in Auckland.

Plan Change 120 would achieve this by concentrating higher-density housing in the central city and along key CBD transport routes, while simultaneously also introducing downzoning for flood-prone areas. Properties at risk of flooding could be limited to one dwelling, with stricter consent rules requiring new houses to be built higher above ground level or risk refusal altogether.

Public consultation on the proposal runs from November 3 to December 19. Submissions will be reviewed by an Independent Hearings Panel next year, with a final decision expected about 18 months later. This will be your opportunity to have your say on whether Warkworth’s older housing areas should be re-protected, or alternatively should they be allowed to intensify, allowing up to three homes of three storeys on a single property.