Tauranga is in the grips of a housing shortage and the local council has concerns at Government plans to address it. Photo / NZME
Tauranga is in the grips of a housing shortage and the local council has concerns at Government plans to address it. Photo / NZME
"Wastewater overflows into streets and waterways."
That's the dire warning from Tauranga City Council of the potential consequences of proposed Government legislation aimed at increasing housing supply.
The council has flagged several "significant concerns" with the draft Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Bill - including thatit undermined the council's efforts to tackle the city's housing crisis.
The Bill would allow three homes of up to three storeys to be built on most sites without consent across major cities including Tauranga and the surrounding Western Bay.
With both Labour and National supporting the new legislation when it was announced in October, it is expected to be passed by Christmas.
Other concerns the council flagged in its submission on the draft Bill to the Environment Select Committee last week included an invasion of privacy and loss of sunlight for neighbours of new builds.
Its 25-page submission stated the proposed Bill did "not appear to be well-thought-out and will create a number of unintended and poor outcomes".
Western Bay of Plenty District Council also presented concerns about the legislation in a submission last week.
Both councils acknowledged and supported the intent of the Bill which aimed to address the housing crisis and provide greater access to homes.
However, the councils listed issues including a lack of consultation and likely negative impacts on local infrastructure, rates and the future of the city. Both called for significant changes.
Tauranga City Council city and infrastructure planning manager Andrew Mead said in the council's submission the Bill undermined the council's efforts to address the city's housing shortage, such as the proposed Plan Change 26, which would make it easier to build duplexes and townhouses across the city, and apartments in suitable central areas.
The council has deferred long-running work on the plan change as well as a full City Plan update project due to uncertainty around central Government law changes.
The Bill also took no account of limitations from covenants, natural hazards, and planning and infrastructure constraints, Mead said.
The submission listed 12 issues of "particular concern". These included the potential of intensification in unsuitable locations; lack of clarity regarding planning and affordability; and potential tensions and conflicts between the Bill and other planning documents such as the National Policy Statement of Urban Development (NPS-UD).
Environment Minister David Parker. Photo / NZME
Mead said the council was also worried the evidence used to justify the bill appeared to "grossly over-estimate outcomes".
The Bill also suggested much of the extra housing it would provide would go into Wairakei and coastal Mount Maunganui but Mead said almost all Wairakei housing was already consented and underway, and the Mount had the highest-priced housing in the city with "limited prospect of more affordable housing being delivered".
Mead said the Bill's proposed medium density standards would "not lead to quality urban design" and result in poor builds. It also had the potential to result in developments in places with limited access to public infrastructure, which created increased car dependency.
Western Bay of Plenty mayor Garry Webber. Photo / NZME
The council was "particularly concerned" the Bill would lead to developments that couldn't be catered for in the city's infrastructure networks, "especially when the cumulative effects of multiple developments are considered".
"This may have significant implications such as wastewater overflows into streets and waterways."
As a result, infrastructure may be provided in an ad hoc or reactive manner which went against the Resource Management Act, Regional Policy Statement and the City Plan.
The Bill did not acknowledge the council's broader infrastructure funding challenge and it clashed with the council's approved Long-term Plan 2021-2031, which included $2.6 billion in infrastructure investment, Mead said.
It also appeared to have "no regard for how councils plan for and fund housing supply" and the council warned of potentially increased rates.
The council called for a collaborative approach in the hope to "reshape this Bill into something positive".
Chairwoman of the Environment Select Committee Eugenie Sage. Photo / NZME
In the Western Bay council's submission mayor Garry Webber said provisions for higher density housing had the "real likelihood" of contradicting the intent of the Bill plus the Government's existing urban development standards.
The Bill would also scupper development plans already in play by delaying completion of new builds where there has already had significant work done. It could also potentially impact negatively on the district's smaller, rural townships, Webber said.
Webber said the density provisions could make it cheaper to build in rural towns with "suboptimal" public transport than in more appropriate city areas.
The council was concerned with the social, sustainability, and health and safety outcomes on its towns and impact on the wellbeing of our communities, Webber said.
A spokesman for Environment Minister David Parker's office said he looked forward to the select committee's report, "which will consider and weigh all the submissions including those from Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council, and considering any amendments it recommends to the Bill in response to public submissions".
Environment Select Committee Eugenie Sage said its hearings finished last Monday and submissions on the Bill were "ranging".
The committee would also consider a report from the Ministry for the Environment and Ministry of Housing and Urban Development alongside public submissions.
The select committee can recommend amendments to the bill in response to submissions. The committee will report back to Parliament on Thursday.
