Special Housing Areas

A Special Housing Area (SHA) is an area of the City suitable for new housing where the more permissive resource consenting powers of the Act can be used to fast-track development. The legislation allows the council to consider requests for SHAs in existing urban areas. Development of new sections and homes in these areas will be ‘fast-tracked’ through the resource consenting process. Under the Accord, Nelson City Council has the ability to recommend SHAs to the Minister of Housing. 

While the conceptual nature of a development will be known at the time a Special Housing Area is considered, the finer details will be determined through a later resource consent process.

Background

On 23 March 2017, the Nelson City Council decided to continue to be an Accord Authority under the Housing Accord and Special Housing Areas Act (HASHAA), until 16 September 2021.

The extended Nelson Housing Accord has been amended to reflect a preference for the consideration of Special Housing Areas (SHAs) in areas that are either zoned residential, city centre, suburban commercial, or located within the Saxton SHA where Council has already made SHA recommendations.

It also reflects a preference for the consideration of SHAs where all infrastructure services either exist or will exist in the short or medium term and are provided for in the Long Term Plan.

Expressions of Interest

As of 14 March 2019, Council is no longer accepting Expressions of Interest. For information on the EOI process, please contact Alastair Upton, Senior City Development Planner, alastair.upton@ncc.govt.nz or phone 03 546 0226.

Key changes to HASHAA

On 16 September 2016, the Housing Legislation Amendment Act 2016 (the Amendment Act) came into effect, with the intent to meet the high housing demands in areas outside of Auckland.

The Amendment Act makes various key changes to HASHAA, including

• extending the deadline for establishing SHAs until 16 September 2019, and
• extending the date of repeal of HASHAA until 16 September 2021.

The Act also impacts on the date of disestablishment of a SHA. An approved SHA has a set timeframe which requires that a resource consent application must be lodged with Council before the date of disestablishment. Once a SHA is disestablished it loses its SHA status and any resource consent application would need to be made under the Resource Management Act.

The Amendment Act sets new timelines for disestablishing SHAs.

• From 23 March 2017, any new SHAs will have until 16 September 2019 until they are disestablished.
• SHAs approved before 23 March 2017 will be disestablished 12 months from the date on which the Order in Council was notified in Gazette.

Applications for variations to consent conditions for consent applications lodged prior to the disestablishment of a SHA, (under section 52 HASHAA), can still be made under HASHAA even after the SHA has been disestablished. 

For any queries contact Lisa Gibellini, Team Leader City Development, lisa.gibellini@ncc.govt.nz or phone 03 546 0375.

Table of SHAs

The following table provides a list of  SHAs and  confirms their status: