National Policy Statement - Urban Development (NPS-UD)

Local authorities are required to prepare a HBA every three years, to ensure planning decisions are well informed by up to date information about the demand and supply of housing and business land and our local development market. It is also to be used to inform RMA planning documents, future development strategies and long-terms plans addressing short term, medium term and long term land requirements.

Specifically, the HBA must:

• analyse the affordability and competitiveness of the housing market and the impact of planning decisions and infrastructure on this market

• estimate demand for housing and business land, by type and location, in the short, medium and long term

• quantify development capacity for housing and its feasibility and what is reasonably expected to be realised in the short, medium and long term

• provide the basis for ‘bottom lines’ for sufficient housing development capacity

• quantify development capacity for business land and its suitability in the short, medium and long term

• quantify any insufficiencies in development capacity for housing or business land, and whether the shortfalls are due to planning or infrastructure constraints

QLDC and the ORC are also required to monitor data on a set of key market indicators quarterly, and results published at least annually. These results are then to be used to inform planning decisions, future development strategies, and to ensure at least enough development capacity is enabled at all times.

Specifically, we must monitor:

• demand, supply, price and rents for dwellings

• housing affordability

• the proportion of housing development capacity that has been realised in brownfield and greenfield areas

• available data on business land

These indicators are available from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MHUD).