Auckland Council to decide on housing density plan

Auckland Council’s Policy and Planning Committee is meeting today, Wednesday 24 September, to consider two options for Auckland’s future planning rules. 

Both options must meet government requirements to boost the number of homes Auckland can accommodate, with the final decision setting a proposed blueprint for how Auckland grows. 

Councillors will vote whether to continue with Plan Change 78, which allows for three-storey residential buildings to be erected anywhere in the city, or take up Plan Change 120, which focuses on 10-15-storey high-rises around public transport hubs in some central-city areas. 

According to an Auckland Council spokesperson, the meeting began at 10am and is set to run until about 5pm.  

Councillor Richard Hills is chairing the meeting.

Since 2022, Auckland Council has raised concerns about Plan Change 78 and sought to withdraw it. Key issues include the blanket application of the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS), delays in addressing natural hazard zoning, and impacts on urban design quality. 

Auckland Council deputy mayor, Desley Simpson, has asked Council chief of strategy Megan Tyler if there was a third option for change to which Tyler responded, “no”. 

Candidate for Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward, Christine Fletcher, says she wants “all the information on the table” to avoid an “act in haste, repent in leisure” situation.  

The live stream from the meeting at the Auckland Town Hall can be viewed here.