The Government is set to increase the size of granny flats to be built without consent from 60 to 70 square metres.
Last year, the Government announced it would change the law to make it easier to build simple standalone dwellings by allowing them to be built without consents up to 60 square metres.
The proposal said the dwellings could be built in rural and residential zones without a building or resource consent so long as they meet certain criteria aimed at reducing the risk of structural failure, fire and its spread, weather tightness failure and unsanitary conditions.
It was put forward after a New Zealand First and National coalition agreement.
Today, Minister of Housing Chris Bishop said the Government would go “even further” by increasing the maximum size to 70 square metres, as the proposal received “huge support”.
He said it was “far too hard” to build the homes New Zealanders need, “with even the simplest dwellings tangling up homeowners and builders in red tape”.
“That’s a big part of the reason why we’re replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA) with new laws based on property rights.
“At present, people who want to build a simple standalone dwelling on their properties need a building consent under the Building Act. In many cases, a resource consent under the Resource Management Act is required as well. These processes are complicated, time-consuming, and costly.”
Bishop said the new National Environment Standard under the RMA would be developed and in place “by the end of this year”, timed to take effect with the changes to the Building Act.
The Government said it would introduce an amendment to the Building Act in the middle of this year, which would exempt granny flats from needing building consent if:
- The granny flat had a simple design and met the Building Code
- Authorised building professionals carried out building work
- Homeowners notified their local council before they commenced building and once it was completed.
“We have carefully considered the feedback to make sure the path forward strikes the right balance between enabling housing growth and managing risks,” said Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk.
“To support councils with local infrastructure funding for growing communities, the Government has agreed that infrastructure charges will continue to apply to granny flats through the Project Information Memorandum process.”
