How to Take Advantage of the Auckland Unitary Plan
The AUP is a legislative response by Auckland Council and Central Government to Auckland’s significant housing shortage. The aim of the legislation is to provide more housing.
The Auckland Unitary Plan, in a nutshell, is an enabling plan that allows landowners and developers to develop land more easily.
The focus is to enable good design and good urban design outcomes. It aims to ensure that while we have an increase in housing within Auckland, that housing is designed in an attractive way – one that makes Auckland the world’s most liveable city.
The 3 Core Zones of Opportunity
There are three core residential zones that you’re likely to fall into under the AUP:
- Terraced House and Apartment Building Zone.
- Mixed Housing Urban Zone.
- Mixed Housing Suburban Zone.
These three zones offer the most flexibility and opportunity for you, as a landowner and developer.
The major changes that have been made from past legislation have been an increase in height and a loosening of density controls. Within the Terraced House and Apartment Zone, for example, you can build up to 16.5 meters, or 20.5 meters in some areas. That’s a significant increase in height from past legislation, which restricted these areas to eight metres.
Within the Mixed Housing Urban and Mixed Housing Suburban Zones building coverages have been increased significantly as well.
Past legislation allowed 35% of your site to be covered in building. The new legislation allows up to 40% and in some cases 50% of your site to be covered in building. That means there are opportunities now, for you as a landowner, to infill some of your land.
The AUP is going to be our legislation for the next 30 years. As a landowner and developer you need to understand the mechanics of how it may affect you, so you can make the most of the significant opportunities at hand.