Draft Plan Change 24 – Housing affordability

Status

This plan change is not proceeding as a standalone plan change but will be incorporated into a future District Plan review.

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Indicative timeframe

Date	Activity
Second half 2024	Notify Proposed Plan Change 24 for public submissions
2023/2024	Preparation and key stakeholder engagement
August 2023	Council approves scope of PC24

What is plan change 24?

Draft Plan Change 24 broadly seeks to introduce provisions to the Waipā District Plan that address housing affordability and introduce inclusionary zoning (to incentivise or require affordable houses within residential developments).

Affordable housing by way of “Inclusionary Zoning” was proposed originally as part of Draft Plan Change 21. Inclusionary Zoning is district plan rules that require developers to provide a certain percentage of new residential dwellings to be offered as “affordable housing”, with definitions around “affordable”. This requirement is for genuinely affordable housing, being affordable in price and affordable forever, rather than developers simply offering some houses at a discounted rate for the first buyer as claimed “affordable”.

Background documents

Two Issues and Options papers have been completed to inform the content and direction of Draft Plan Change 24. We are not seeking feedback on these papers. However, there will be an opportunity to share your thoughts when public consultation opens.

Issues and options paper for: Affordable housing

This was prepared for the Future Proof partners which includes Waipā District Council, Waikato District Council and Hamilton City Council. This document looks at capacity for growth and options to enable affordable housing via inclusionary zoning in the Waikato sub-regional housing market. This paper was completed before the Resource Management Amendment Act came into force on 20 December 2021. Therefore, some of the findings may be out of date or require further review.

Click here to read.

Issues and options paper for: National Policy Statement on Urban Development and Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2022

This paper addresses Waipā specific housing supply issues. It also includes information on national direction, future housing demands, current strategies, development options, urban design matters and covenants. This paper looks at the provisions of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development and Resource Management Amendment Act 2022 and what these will mean for the Waipā District.