POLL: NBR readers verdict on land use policy
Readers think a mix of boundary extensions and making it easier to subdivide will help ease house prices.
A majority of NBR ONLINE readers think it should be easier to subdivide land and that city boundaries should be extended to make housing more affordable.
In a poll conducted on the NBR website last week, readers were asked: If more land is made available to ease house pricing, what form should the policy take?
Nineteen percent said there should be infill strategies, including making it easier and cheaper to subdivide, and 23% said city boundaries should be extended.
However, 59% believe any policy should include a mix of both.
The issue was sparked by a recent comment by Finance Minister Bill English, in which he called house pricing "ridiculous".
That prompted Housing Minister Phil Heatley to call for city boundaries to be extended and for it to be easier to intensify housing.
Denser housing development in central Christchurch was also a feature of the government's recent recovery blueprint.
"It's expected new urban living apartments will be developed ... and is likely to enhance the economic value of the area," Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee said.
Caleb Allison
Mon, 06 Aug 2012
Mon, 06 Aug 2012
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POLL: NBR readers verdict on land use policy
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