More special housing areas revealed

It is the third to be revealed and includes parts of Great North Road, Otahu Coast, New Lynn, Northcote, Flat Bush, Takanini and Albany East.

The first tranche allowed for 6000 homes over 11 special housing areas and the second for 9500 homes over 11 areas, around Newmarket, Takapuna and the western and southern edges of the city.

Housing Minister Nick Smith said the third tranche brought the total number of special housing areas to 63 and 33,500 homes.

Mayor Len Brown said the seven strategic areas revealed today had been identified as having good transport links and access to infrastructure. “These are larger areas where we don’t yet have developers with proposals, but where we are signalling to the market that we want to encourage growth.”

He said many of the areas announced today are significantly larger than the areas in the first two tranches.

The areas will allow for 18,000 new residences under the Auckland Housing Accord, which aims to approve 39,000 new homes over a three-year period.

Qualifying developments in the areas will be able to be streamlined and fast-tracked.