Building Performance’s Post

Earlier this year the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao undertook public consultation on options to enable “granny flats” to be built without needing a building or resource consent. Almost 2,000 submissions were received for this consultation. You can check out the summary of submissions report on the link below. Using the feedback received from the consultation further advice will be prepared which will inform changes to the Building Act 2004. Those changes and new National Environmental Standards for “granny flats” will both come into effect in 2025, supported by guidance material and other resources to support the understanding of the exemption when it becomes law. #grannyflats

Without question...building houses is a business. All parts of the supply chain for housing delivery is a business. Surveyors and Engineers Land Owners and Developers Civil construction and infrastructure contractors Merchants and suppliers Builders and Developers Subcontractors Financiers and investors Even Councils benefit from new housing with development contributions and increased Rates. I'm sure that there are a few who are greedy...there are certainly a few who are inexperienced and look at the market and go "how hard can it be"...only to find out that building houses (on any scale) is a tough business. Land developers will spend many hundreds of thousands of dollars (excluding the actual cost of the land) trying to get the required "paperwork" together to submit a plan change request to Council, with no guarantee of approval. I agree that there are still details to work out before many of these new developments go ahead. Suporting infrastructure Schools, as the population increases Commercial and community development But given the current and proposed population increase across Canterbury, this new land development is essential. Since 2018, we have been building houses faster than we have been developing land, which has seen the price of a residential section double in the past couple of years. I expect that it will be 2027 (at the earliest) before we see houses being built on many of these newly announced developments, and many of the larger subdivisions are multi-year projects. Just to give the numbers some context, in 2022 there were more than 1,800 new residential houses built in Selwyn. The two developments approved will bring an estimated 4,700 new houses to the market...this is less than 3 years supply. Meeting a need, Yes. Greed, No.

This was a good decision by the City of Niagara Falls. It doesn't happen often, but it still happens too often that a municipality makes a poor decision after bowing to public pressure, which will eventually be reversed in the courts or by another tier of government, but not until substantial public funds have been expended on a pointless legal battle. City Council did well to recognize that, in this case, no decision was the best decision and, realistically, the only good decision to make. The question was over a moratorium on quarry development, and there is already a review process in place. Council wisely decided to let that process play out. It's there for a reason, and it will let Council hear from all stakeholders before making a decision, which will be a better one because of that process. Furthermore, it's worth pointing out - again - that we desperately need more homes to be built, and with a provincial target of 1.5 million new homes by 2031, that means stone and aggregate. A LOT of stone and aggregate. The pace of construction is already being slowed by supply chain issues, so we need more local sources of stone and aggregate, not fewer. And while the views of homeowners are often heard at council meetings, we almost never hear the voices of people who don't own homes and can't own homes because they're priced out of the market. Read more on the decision at https://lnkd.in/gS8abBh2.

To help address the ongoing housing shortage, the Government is considering a law change allowing single level granny flats up to 60m² to be built without a building or resource consent. Granny flats, also known as secondary or minor dwellings, offer a practical solution for accommodating extended family members, generating rental income, or providing independent living spaces for elderly relatives. Whilst a consent may not be required under this proposal, other criteria will need to be meet such as; • The building must be designed and built to comply with the Building Code which will mean the involvement of Licensed Building Practitioners (LBPs). • Adherence to the usual height-in-relation-to-boundary, set-back, underground services and site coverage rules. • Flood plains, overland flow paths and other ‘features of the land’ will need to be considered. • Owners must notify the council of their plans to build a granny flat. This proposed law change is currently out for discussion and will not come into effect until mid-2025 but reflects a growing urgency to find innovative solutions to the housing shortage.

Government Announces Proposals to Simplify Written Appeal Process to take Pressure off Councils.. The Government has proposed expanding its “simplified” appeal process to most cases conducted by written representations, including all those where the local authority had refused consent, in a bid to reduce pressure on local planning authorities. #planning #housing #newhomes #build #development #homes #localplan

Advancing Inclusive and Affordable Living in Waipa: Overcoming Zoning Hurdles and Neighbours Concerns at Council Hearing We’re planning to transform an aging property into seven new two-bedroom homes. This isn’t just about new buildings; it's about creating opportunities for better living right here in our community. Despite being in a compact housing zone and having the backing of the council, a couple of our neighbours have expressed their reservations. It’s a democratic process, and everyone’s voice matters – but let's talk about why this project is so crucial. “Part of the problem is we face serious challenges with restrictive zoning laws, they deter the construction of economical small homes. This forces our young people and people on low wages to live in places like Hamilton and have to commute to Cambridge to work. This not only places a financial burden on them, but I think it goes against our community values of inclusivity and support." What we're trying to do here is knock down barriers (quite literally) to building homes that are affordable, right where they're needed. By focusing on more compact, efficient housing, we're stepping up to help our community thrive – ensuring that living near work is not just a luxury for the few. Check out the images attached of the current old house and the future homes we envision. Plus, dive deeper into the details with the link to the full article. https://lnkd.in/gAgHm4Jz

The biggest apartment construction boom in four decades flooded the market with new supply over the past two years. Apartment owners had to contend with a surge in empty units. That is starting to change. The vacancy rate, or the share of apartment units that are empty, stopped rising for the first time in three years last quarter, as demand for apartments rose to its highest levels since 2021, according to CoStar. If that demand is sustained, landlords likely will have more pricing power starting sometime next year.

TOWNSHIP OF LANGLEY DEVELOPMENT NEWS A handful of land use amendments have been approved for the Fernridge Neighbourhood Plan in Brookswood. A few months back when the Fernridge, Booth and Rinn neighbourhoods went to council for approval, there were still a handful of unresolved land use conversations on-going with unsatisfied property owners. It was decided at that time that those conversations would be handled via future amendments to the plan rather than deferring the plan back to staff which would have necessitated yet another public hearing. These amendments, approved at the November 18th council meeting, is that follow-up. The primary change is an increase to the density given to the 56 acres along and around Fernridge Crescent (pictured below). The properties were originally designated for minimum 1 acre lots and are now minimum 10,000 square foot lots. Read the council report starting on page 359 of the council meeting agenda, here: https://lnkd.in/gCdwbngS

Disappointed to share that our recent DA for attached dwellings on an R4 corner site has been refused by Council. The irony? Our site is directly across the road from a property with the same zoning and site area (highlighted in the image), which gained approval after going through the Land and Environment Court (LEC). Despite following the precedent set across the road, we’re now left with no choice but to pursue the same lengthy process through the LEC. It’s frustrating to see valuable resources—time, money, and energy—poured into an appeal, when the path for approval has already been established just next door. Isn’t the goal to streamline housing approvals and meet housing targets? Here’s hoping for more consistency in the future to avoid unnecessary obstacles to housing growth. #UrbanPlanning #HousingCrisis #DevelopmentChallenges #PlanningPrecedent #LEC #ResourceWastage #ConsistencyMatters