- By Parmjeet Parmar, Pakuranga-based ACT List MP
Everywhere we look in Pakuranga, homes are being built.
This is a good sign for future generations who hope to secure a home in our corner of Auckland while the population grows.
However, I’m regularly approached by residents suffering from the effects of badly thought-out development.
Concerns are not just about the changing character of our suburbs. Most Aucklanders understand change is inevitable as the city grows.
Objections to development are typically practical ones. Narrow roads are made difficult to navigate with more traffic and packed on-street parking.
Wastewater systems are overflowing onto our beaches and even into backyards.
Residents in Half Moon Bay recently sent me photos of one such unpleasant spill that meant Watercare had to disinfect their property.
When they look at this mess, and then down the road at new planned housing developments, they’re in disbelief at how their neighbourhood is meant to remain liveable.
Auckland’s boom in townhouses, while construction of traditional standalone houses slumps, reflects intentional policies to encourage intensification such as Auckland Council’s 2016 Unitary Plan which rezoned large parts of the city for taller homes and smaller sections.
Planners and lawmakers have promoted denser housing in existing residential areas over building in undeveloped areas, with the theory it’s cheaper to rely on existing pipes and transport links than to build new ones.
However, for residents dealing with wastewater spills and congested roads, it’s obvious that intensification can cause infrastructure woes.
Labour’s densification rules would have placed far greater pressure on existing infrastructure, by allowing for the construction of blocks of three three-storey townhouses in most of the city.
I’m glad to say that with ACT in Government, these rules have been scrapped.
Instead, there will be greater freedom to develop on under-used land at the edge of the city, with Auckland’s rural-urban boundary set to be scrapped.
And, as negotiated by ACT, the Government will consider sharing a portion of GST collected on new residential builds with councils, to provide funding for associated infrastructure.
More must be done to plan for and fund infrastructure, no matter where building is happening.
ACT’s coalition agreement allows for long-term city infrastructure deals to give councils greater certainty and new tools for infrastructure funding.
As a locally-based MP, I am taking the practical concerns of my neighbours seriously, and I am working to ensure relevant agencies do the same.
