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Record number of Auckland housing consents

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More than 15,000 housing consents have been issued in Auckland this year – the highest number since records began in the early 1990s.

Auckland Council consented 1734 new dwellings in September this year, bringing the annual total to 15,470. That’s more new homes than what was consented in all of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 combined.

Of September’s new consents, 56% were for townhouses or apartments, while the rest were for standalone houses or retirement villages. For the first time, the value of the buildings exceeded $1bn, with more than $700m coming from residential projects.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said these results reflected encouraging progress in addressing housing supply issues in the country’s largest city. “Auckland still faces a significant housing challenge, with global uncertainty, low interest rates and the removal of loan-to-value ratio restrictions continuing to push up house prices,” he said.

“However, the fact that we are consenting dwellings at the highest volume in almost three decades shows that we are making strong progress to increase supply and address Auckland’s housing challenges.”

Mr Goff said the city’s Unitary Plan was continuing to drive the creation of a more compact city, with housing intensification replacing sprawl. “We are building up—not just out—which offers more housing choices for Aucklanders.”

According to Auckland Council, the city’s housing shortfall has declined by about 10,000 homes over the last three years – but it will still require an additional 15,000 new homes to fill its current housing backlog.