Finally, Government does something right

Stuff reports:

In a dramatic move to reshape New Zealand’s towns and cities, the Government will stop councils from imposing height limits of less than six-storeys and force them to accept developments with no carparks.

Abolishing mandatory carparks is an excellent move. Not everyone wants a carpark. The market is best placed to deal with whether or not people want houses with or without carparks.

In all “tier 1” cities – Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga, Christchurch, and Hamilton – councils would not be able to set building height limits of less than six storeys in city centres.

Also seems very sensible. You may not want tall apartments in some suburbs, but CBDs should not have artificial constraints on growing up.

Again let the market decide what people want in a CBD.

The National Party’s new urban development spokeswoman Jacqui Dean said the statement was “madness”.

“This policy statement from Phil Twyford is madness. Congestion in cities is already a big issue and this will only exacerbate the problem as more cars jostle for fewer spaces. Public transport works for some but realistically it’s not a suitable option for everyone,“ Dean said.

National’s infrastructure spokesman Chris Bishop said the party supported removing the minimum carpark requirement.

“National supports removing mandatory minimum carpark requirements. We have concerns over the relatively quick lead-in time before the rules come into effect and also over accessibility for people who do genuinely need car parks.”

One National MP says the NPS is madness and another says they support it. Not a great look.

For once I’m saying Phil Twyford has something right.