Hamish Firth: Mt Hobson Group Urban Planning Specialist on the Government amending the fast-track system
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What is the government’s fast‑track system and why is it under review?
Looks like the government's woken up to this fast track issue when it comes to housing developments. Amendments are going to be announced this morning. Changes are coming. Hamish Firth is the director of Mount Hobson Group Urban Planning Specialist is with us. Hamish, good morning to you. Morning Mike. Do you know what we're getting in the sense, will it solve a problem or are they just tinkering because they're panicking a bit?
No, I think what we've got is we've got fast track legislation which enables large scale projects across the spectrum to be, I suppose, consented much faster and with more certainty.
How does fast‑track legislation affect large‑scale residential developments and infrastructure funding?
The issue we've got, the angst is that we've got some residential developments, large scale, that the funding for the infrastructure or the infrastructure may not be there. So I suspect what's going to happen today is that the government is going to say growth needs to pay for growth and that the development contributions will need to be included as part of uh any development co uh any new residential development so ensure that infrastructure can be provided alongside. Hardly rocket science.
Why does the government plan to require development contributions for new housing projects?
Why
didn't
they think of that at the
start?
Uh, look, I think the legislation was well intentioned. Without it we wouldn't have quarries approved, we wouldn't have state highways approved, we wouldn't have a whole lot of things approved. I think often these things need changing to to to adapt to these sort of circumstances. Maybe they didn't expect large scale residential developments to feature so heavily. Um but development's going to go where development wants to go. Um and I think what the government wants to do is allow the economics of development and infrastructure to guide growth rather than what I would call ideological planning restrictive rules.
What benefits has the fast‑track system provided for projects like quarries and highways?
Well done.
Well said, appreciate it and let's hope um they crack it. How they didn't see it coming, I got no idea, but I've raised it with the Prime Minister forever, and he keeps pushing back on it, going, Oh, we're opening a mine, we're building a road, fantastic. But you got a thousand houses north of Auckland getting the the poo water taken out by a truck.
What are the practical challenges with fast‑tracked housing, such as water services and planning oversight?
That's not modern development and they should have seen that a mile away.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the government’s fast‑track system and why is it under review?
0:00–0:29
2
How does fast‑track legislation affect large‑scale residential developments and infrastructure funding?
0:29–1:01
3
Why does the government plan to require development contributions for new housing projects?
1:01–1:39
4
What benefits has the fast‑track system provided for projects like quarries and highways?
1:39–1:57
5
What are the practical challenges with fast‑tracked housing, such as water services and planning oversight?
1:57–2:09
Speakers
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