CREATING A UNIQUE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH ASAP PLANS
ADVICE ON NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN OCCUPIED AREAS
3 December 2018
CREATING A UNIQUE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH ASAP PLANS
Buildings consents for new dwellings are up more than 5 per cent from last year’s figures, according to new data released by Stats NZ. The New Zealand Government reports that, in the period of September 2017 – 2018, over 32,500 new dwellings were consented nationally, with more than one-third located in the Auckland region.
The figures released by Stats NZ, in detail:
- 12,945 in Auckland – up 25 per cent
- 2,604 in Wellington – up 13 per cent
- 5,471 in Rest of North Island – down 9.9 per cent
- 4,629 in Canterbury – down 9.6 per cent
- 3,517 in Waikato – down 2.2 per cent
- 3,378 in Rest of South Island – down 2.7 per cent.
For developers, these figures illustrate a commitment to new developments across the country, coupled with stricter local council approval processes to ensure quality Kiwi homes. Today, we’ll discuss the importance of creating a unique residential development, and how doing so can help avoid common problems faced by developers in New Zealand.
Looking at the bigger picture of development plans
Your overall plan for a development project is just as important as your individual lots – if not more so. In general, councils are looking to approve an entire subdivision; an individual lot can display unique characteristics or design elements, but this won’t necessarily translate to an ideal development on the whole.
We’ve seen plenty of developments stalled due to a lack of cohesion between the individual designs and the project in total; individual lots may show a level of flair and creativity, but if this fails to translate to a cohesive flow throughout the entire development, council will struggle to issue consent and approval.
Our continued work through all stages of the residential housing development process allows us to leverage both our past experience, and intimate knowledge of local council approval processes. For our clients, this translates to a more reliable approval process, fewer surprises and setbacks, and a development best-suited for a specific area.
Diverse designs and council approval
Understanding the demands and expectations of a local council is the easiest way to improve your chances of creating a successful development. As the population of our country increases – and available land becomes scarce – the diversity of designs will be crucial to gaining approval by council.
To illustrate this point, we can break down the development figures released by Stats NZ. By type of dwelling, the new homes consented in NZ over the past year were:
20,692 stand-alone houses.
- 6,059 townhouses, flats, and units.
- 3,825 apartments.
- 1,972 retirement village units.
More than 6,000 townhouses, flat, and units were given consent in past 12 months, which signals a dire need for unique and diverse housing designs. If these figures continue to trend upwards, it’s only understandable that local councils throughout our country will find it difficult to approve generic plans with duplicate, unimaginative sections.
ASAP Plans: unique designs for high-quality developments
The best means to obtaining approval on time and without endless back-and-forth discussions is to design something diverse and unique.
At ASAP Plans, we have a portfolio of 200 unique residential design plans, which enables our team to assist you in creating a unique development every time. Whether you need consultation in choosing a design suitable for a specific area or council, or wish to design a 200-lot subdivision where every house is unique, our team have you covered.
Our team of experts take care of any queries from your local council, and will provide the correct documentation and supporting information, and deal with any issues that may arise. We have a dedicated council department to ensure that your developments are consented & approved.