A sweeping bill forcing councils to allow townhouses to be built has passed into law with the support of Labour and National.
The Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) bill was hammered out between the two major parties so is unlikely to be reformed under any change of Government.
From August of 2022, councils will be forced to allow townhouses of up to three storeys with up to three dwellings on almost all residential sites in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, and Hamilton, as these will not require resource consent.
Building consent will still be required, so the quality of the homes themselves will still need to meet a standard.
Analysis by PwC suggests it could add up to 105,000 new dwellings in those cities over the next eight years.
The bill also moves forward the timeline on the NPS-UD, another zoning change that removes the ability for councils to set height limits of less than six storeys in a more restricted set of urban areas.
READ MORE:
* Bipartisan housing deal: Weakening of 'townhouse bill' estimated to only cost 1690 Auckland homes
* 'Team Granny Flat' versus the YIMBYs
* Housing advocates urge National to stay the course on bipartisan deal to force councils to allow more homes
Labour and National announced the bill in October after months of negotiations.
The two parties then sought to pass the bill far faster than is usual, with a select committee process that lasted six weeks instead of the usual six months.
Some...
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