Councils 'pricing Auckland out of market'

Not enough houses are being built in Auckland and families are being forced to squeeze up because land is too expensive, an economist says.

Rodney Dickens of Orewa said many young couples now had to live with parents. People had to take in boarders to afford mortgages or rent and garages were being used to house people instead of cars.

Dickens, of economic/industry/property researcher Strategic Risk Analysis, said the solution was to abolish the "smart-growth" planning policies which restrict land.

He wants more city boundary or fringe areas freed up, saying this will help to solve the problem.

His view is opposed by the Auckland Regional Council and organisations including the Environmental Defence Society and its chairman Gary Taylor, who is strongly opposed to what he calls urban sprawl.

Taylor predicted it would be a disaster for the environment and would add costs to the city.

But Dickens said Auckland's housing was becoming increasingly unaffordable and people would shift elsewhere unless more land was made available.

To read the full NZ Herald article, click here

Posted: 8 Jun 2010

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