On 9 November 2023, Property Council submitted on Wellington’s draft Future Development Strategy. This draft strategy outlines how and where the Wairarapa-Wellington-Horowhenua region should grow and change over the next 30 years.
Why it matters to our members
Property Council advocates for the creation and retention of a well-designed, functional and sustainable built environment. It is critical to have a Future Development Strategy with a robust vision for the future of Wellington, that addresses our city’s current challenges around housing supply and affordability while also giving the property sector the confidence to make long-term investment decisions.
Our view
While we supported aspects of the Future Development Strategy, we did have some concerns – namely about the proposed restrictions and delays to new greenfield infrastructure, contradictory mapping and the shortfall in current and future industrial land supply.
At a high level, we recommended that the Wellington Regional Leadership Committee:
- Outline their engagement process including what property developers were contacted by the Committee as part of their obligation under the National Policy Statement on Urban Development;
- Reconsider the proposed approach to restricting or delaying greenfield development;
- Undertake further engagement with Property Council members on the prioritisation areas for development (Diagram 7) to test the above criteria for a range of developments to ensure that it is practical and will not have unintended consequences of no new development occurring across Wellington;
- Resolve the conflict and overlap between the maps outlining areas to avoid development and areas to develop carefully;
- Resolve the shortfall in District Plan-enabled industrial land in Wellington and Porirua within the current Future Development Strategy; and
- Use the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act to fund and finance infrastructure to support new development.