As of 20 August 2022 the new medium density residential standards (MDRS) became law. This means that for Tier 1 Councils no resource consent is needed to allow up to 3×3-storey buildings on any suitable residentially zoned land. Too bad if the new development next door completely shades your solar panels.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development website says:
New Zealand has a shortage of affordable housing. A key driver of this shortage is restrictive planning rules which limit the heights and density of housing in residential areas.
The Act will remove these restrictive rules, so we can expect to see more medium density homes being built across more of our major cities. This will mean more homes are built in areas that have access to jobs, public transport and other public amenities and community facilities.
hud.govt.nz
All very laudable, I’m sure.
However, let’s look at one little settlement captured by this MDRS madness: Omokoroa. (Never heard of it? That’s not surprising.)
Omokoroa is transitioning from a sleepy little seaside hideaway of 3210 people (2018 census), to a total of 12-13,000 in 2050 – 2060 and because the planned growth will exceed the 10,000 trigger it got caught in the MDRS net.
But HUD said that the reason for the MDRS law change was that “more homes are built in areas that have access to jobs, public transport and other public amenities and community facilities” so let’s check that out.
Public Transport:
That’s it, folks! No weekend trips for you. No buses to see a movie or show at night. Too bad if your shift finishes at 6 pm.
Access to jobs:
See ‘Public Transport’ above and note that all those few bus services run to the Tauranga CBD. You will need to change and get another bus or two to get to the employment centres at Tauriko, the Port, Mount Maunganui, Judea, the Polytech, Gate Pa, the hospital etc.
Public Amenities:
Omokoroa has one primary school which cannot cope with the children already in that community. There is no secondary school for at least another two years. At present 13 buses with children leave Omokoroa every school day to deliver children to various educational facilities.
Community Facilities:
A town centre has planning approval but the earthworks have not yet started so that is still some years away. Currently, there is a supermarket and some neighbourhood shops, a library, community hall, church, sports grounds, medical centre, chemist, a couple of cafes and some local employment such as one would expect in a small seaside community.
Apparently, we are all going to ‘modal shift’ to public transport and bicycles but, currently, there is a massive gap between the socialist planners’ fantasies and the reality on the ground.
Chucking a bunch of infill housing into an area that does not have the facilities to support it is madness.