Experts agree that there is a sore need to reform the building consent process, exploring which of the options being investigated by the Government are the best way forward Better efficiency and consistency across the country is what Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk hopes to achieve by reforming the building consent system. Continue →

Six storey buildings could be permitted in downtown Mount Maunganui after Tauranga City Commission rejected the recommendations of an independent hearing panel, but one developer is concerned about the proposed planning rules By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter Tauranga City Council is proposing to raise the allowable building heights in Mount Maunganui North as part of Plan Change 33. Continue →

The X-minute city is a global urban planning concept intended to challenge thinking on how we develop, build and manage neighbourhoods, Bayleys says in its latest Total Property publication   Creating urban neighbourhoods where amenities and services are all within easy walking distance of where people live, is bringing value upside. Continue →

High priority, high impact changes to planning systems could deliver up to $5.7 billion a year in economic value and 39,200 jobs, finds a new report prepared by Urbis for the Property Council of Australia While state and territory governments have been making some progress on planning reform, embedded inefficiencies and uncertainty in planning systems continues to stifle new investment and growth in residential housing supply and growth. Continue →

A joint initiative to make district plans more accessible to the public as well as planners has achieved the supreme accolade at this year’s New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI) awards The New Plymouth District Council’s Draft Digital District Plan – developed in conjunction with Isovist Planning – won both the award for Best Practice District/ Regional Planning Guidance and the NZPI’s supreme award, the Nancy Northcroft Award. Continue →