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3 May, 2022

Intensification maps made public: have your say

Flagstaff Team

Paint by numbers… Zones around town centres allow for terrace house and apartment building (shown shaded darker brown), with central high-rise zones (pink). Northern Busway hubs, including at Smales Farm (above, centre left) and at Sunnynook (opposite page), also allow high density (dark brown). Sections in suburban areas (shown in light brown) allow three houses up to three storeys as of right, with more dwellings possible on larger sections.

Massive housing intensification for Takapuna, Milford, Sunnynook and Hauraki Corner is set out in consultation documents released by Auckland Council this month.

But coastal sections on Takapuna Beach and north to Milford and Castor Bay are restricted to single two-storey dwellings, although these stand to be impacted by the potential for multi-storey buildings to be built behind them. Some sites next to Lake Pupuke also retain single-house controls.

In Takapuna metropolitan centre buildings up to 10 storeys are allowed, while in the wider area from north of the centre to Jutland Rd, Hauraki, in the south, heights of up to six storeys are allowed under a terrace housing and apartment zone.

In Milford six-storey buildings are allowed for the town centre. On other streets fanning out from Kitchener Rd and to the north and east of the commercial area three, three-storey townhouses are allowed, as has become the standard zoning across much of Auckland.

In Forrest Hill, much of Sunnynook and other northern parts of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area, the predominant zoning is for three, three-storey townhouses, but development may be curtailed on sensitive ridge-lines.

The changes have been implemented following laws passed by the government last December that require major cities to increase housing density and building heights. This was backed by the National Party.

To mitigate the impact and protect sensitive areas and sites, Auckland Council is proposing a series of overlays or “qualifying matters”. These include volcanic viewshafts and height-sensitive areas, and coastal inundation. The council has also proposed local public views and significant infrastructure constraints (if development can be limited where there is not enough infrastructure to support it) as additional qualifying matters.

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