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Granny Flats Included in New Zealand’s Housing Shortage Solution posted on the 2nd June 2021
The housing shortage that we hear about daily, is not limited to Queensland… across the ditch, New Zealand families are experiencing the same problem as their population grows. The Dunedin City Council is making a plan to ease the shortage, and that plan includes granny flats…
Dunedin’s push for more housing: Granny flats for more than just granny
Hamish McNeilly, stuff.co.nz
3 February 2021
Historic homes in Dunedin’s Adam St. The Dunedin City Council has identified green field land where new homes can be built and areas where medium-density housing can be built.
Granny flats, duplexes and infill housing are among the possible options for easing Dunedin’s unexpected growing pains.
Dunedin has been a low growth city for decades, but has undergone a boom in recent years.
Projected population growth means the city needs more accommodation without falling victim to urban sprawl.
Granny flats – or what the Dunedin City Council dubs ‘family flats’ – are currently restricted to family members, care workers or farmworkers.
Council city development manager Dr Anna Johnson said there was now a growing push from councils around the country to have the rules regarding granny flats relaxed.
“It is a fairly new idea for New Zealand.”
The rules could be changed to allow homeowners to build smaller flats on their section and rent them to tenants.
Dunedin’s population is growing and ageing.
Homeowners previously needed resource consent for such work, Johnson said.
The council unveiled a suite of changes on Wednesday, designed to boost Dunedin’s housing supply.
The changes include opening up new land to build up to 3000 new homes across certain parts of Dunedin.
Up to 600 new homes could be built across 16 green field sites in Brighton, Wakari and Portobello. A total of 101 hectares of land has been identified for the sites.
Fourteen new medium-density areas have also been proposed, providing 267ha for up to 770 new homes in suburbs like Mornington, Belleknowes and North East Valley.
Dunedin’s population was ageing as well as growing, so the council’s proposals included allowing smaller building sites to cater for smaller builds.
A study on housing preferences showed there was increasing demand for single-person homes, such as duplexes and apartments, for those aged over 65.
Dunedin mayor Aaron Hawkins says Dunedin needs more housing, but cannot fall victim to urban sprawl.
Mayor Aaron Hawkins said the changes included a range of development options.
It was important that future development occurred within the existing urban environment so the city could avoid “urban sprawl”, he said.
“This is an important step forward in addressing our city’s housing shortfall.”
Sonia Woolley
0403 309 136
Written by Sonia Woolley