Eco proposal criticised

Auckland's Draft Unitary Plan includes a requirement that buildings with floor areas of 5000 square metres or more must meet the five-star standard set by the New Zealand Green Building Council.

The Green Building Council assess factors such as energy efficiency and access to natural light.

Property Council chief executive Connal Townsend described the proposal  as "ridiculous".

"The officials or the politicians driving it clearly don't understand what this actually means."

The proposal could put millions of dollars of costs on building owners, he said.

But the Green Building Council said buildings that met the standard would be cheaper to run - meaning tenants would pay more to lease them.

But developers might opt to keep their new buildings below the size limit to avoid having to meet the standards, others suggested.